


The Temptations for the Wallflower

by thewritingamateur



Category: Original Work
Genre: 1990s, Abuse, Abuse of Authority, Age Difference, Chapter 5 for those who are wondering, Dark, Desire, F/M, Forced Pregnancy, Groping, Historical, Inaccurate Catholicism, Non-Consensual Touching, Obsession, Obsessive Behavior, Priest Kink, Priests, Rape, Rape/Non-con Elements, Religious Discussion, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Sexual Tension, Short Story, Stalking, Teenagers, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Underage Rape/Non-con, Voyeurism, more tags to come, posessive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:22:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 59,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27038653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewritingamateur/pseuds/thewritingamateur
Summary: Seahill, Northern Ireland; 1997Tabitha was the new girl in town, just around to help her sick grandmother with her bookshop. She was quiet, trying to keep out of the way of others, particularly the attention of men. She never meant to get his attention, not with his power.Stephen was the young head priest of the Church, revered by all in town. He never expected to find himself tempted by anyone, especially not her. He finds himself searching for her, and he does, running from him. What happens when he finds himself questioning his morals and she questions her place in her faith?Tumblr for my stories: https://moonlight-drawn-by-dawn.tumblr.com/
Relationships: Tabitha/Stephen
Comments: 93
Kudos: 102





	1. Hey Lover

_ 15, end of June _

Taking a step off the plane, a deep inhale was taken from a small girl. She was so happy to feel her feet on the ground, not cramped up in a plane with strangers having absolutely nothing to do. Well, not nothing to do, but how were people capable to just read their books or sleep throughout that flight? She made a mental note of saving up to buy a Walkman, knowing now that it was worth the money rather than using her radio. 

Her brown eyes looked up to the sky, surprised to see that it was clear, a beautiful shade of blue that was only disrupted by light clouds. She had to hurry the security would only keep her luggage for so long. She followed the flight attendant to the area, knowing that it wasn't until she was with her grandmother she may feel at ease with herself. 

She had a bag on her back, and within twenty minutes, a piece of green luggage filled with all of the things she needed for the summer. Her tattered tennis shoes walked to the area of people picking up their relatives, friends, even taxi drivers trying to take a tourist somewhere. There weren't a lot of people. Seeing it was still early in the day, there was a higher chance in her mind that people would go to other places to visit for fun. 

And she wasn't visiting for fun. 

"Tabitha! Tabitha, I'm here!" The young girl turned her head to the voice calling out her name, her grandmother in a fragile but slightly robust form. She gave a big smile before running and hugging her beloved grandma, Sonya. 

She remembered the stories she heard of her, not having seen her since she was a little girl. Unlike her own family, her grandmother was able to travel wherever she liked whenever she liked. The majority of the family who didn't leave Trinidad in the late 80s migration went either to New York or Canada. Her grandmother opted out of that and came to Ireland, somewhere she always wanted to go from a young age. It worked out for her to be able to live out her last years there. 

The young girl looked at her grandmother, grey hairs fighting to grow, but she refused to let it with the power of hair dye. Her grandmother's dark brown eyes beamed with joy as thinned lips widened with a smile. She hadn't seen her grandchild since she was a small girl, and how she had grown since then.

After the prolonged greetings, they took Sonya's small blue car down to the village. It was a nice ride, quiet with the fresh wind blowing in the young girl's thick mane.

They did some catching up, Tabitha giving news about the family her grandmother missed out on. Her aunt recently gave birth to a boy, so most of the family was overjoyed with that. She brought pictures for her Grandma Sonya to keep. It would be her seventh grandchild, that she, unfortunately, may never get to see face to face.

They entered the town, many people walking in the street to their destinations. Most gave a hello to her grandmother, smiling at her familiar face. Being the awkward teen she was, Tabitha studied her fingers, thinking it was her best option.

Within no time, although it felt like several hours had passed, they reached the small cottage, attached with a slightly bigger building, in front of some tables and chairs around in a quaint way. Tabitha knew it was her grandmother's book shop, the one she always heard about from her mother. It was part of her grandmother's dream to own a bookshop from when she was young, a passion for books that were shared between the two. Being the generous person she was, her grandmother would offer some refreshments to those who would stay and enjoy the warm weather in the summertime, something she knew was part of their culture back home. 

They had gotten out, her grandmother leading her to the room where she would stay for the next two months. It was small, but if felt large with her 4'11" stature inside of it. There was a window, outside there was a small garden which Sonya grew and tended throughout the year. A bed, small desk, dresser draws, and a bookshelf was all that was already there. 

She turned to the elder, "Grandma, do you by chance have a radio?" Sonya smiled, nodding as she went to get it. The young girl put down her luggage, taking a seat on the comfortable bed. She couldn't believe she was finally there, across the world from her parents and other family members who were quick to condemn her for things she never did. That was the thing about being a teenager, adults often thought they were all the same, rebelling by smoking and having pre-marital sex. 

The only catch was that by staying with her grandmother she was meant to make sure she was well, and help her out with her bookshop. Though she didn't know anyone, Tabitha wanted to explore a little, have the ability to go places without needing her parent's consent. 

Her grandmother entered back into the room, she brought the large boombox. 

~~~~~~

About three days had passed since she arrived in the green, scenic country. It was a lot more tasking than she initially thought; her grandmother's schedule that is. Believe it or not her Grandma Sonya wasn't near as fragile as her parents made it out to be. In truth, she was more active than Tabitha. Within time, she quickly became familiar with several faces who were introduced to her as the regulars of her grandmother's shop, though she had a feeling it was for the free coffee more than anything. 

Most of the people she met so far were on the older side of life, but she saw some youthful faces. Tabitha didn't speak to them though, opting to keep to herself, knowing she wasn't going to be there for much longer. 

For the most part, she found herself sitting on the floor of the bookshop, finding herself engrossed in books. Her grandmother didn't mind, as long as she didn't block the customer's way.

~~~~~~

Within the first week, Tabitha was on a first-name basis with several members of the town. Her grandmother was a popular person, so being her family made it automatic for them to be nice to her. When Tabitha came to know someone in a close way, she would find herself opening up more, speaking a bit louder with them, and sharing her humor. It was favorable that many village members had similar humor to hers, or else it would've been an awkward situation. 

She found it unbelievable that she was able to be open and herself around these strangers, but at home, it was rare to see her open her mouth with even her own family. She wasn't known well in school, many choosing to stay within cliques instead. Though she had her own opinions, it was kept hidden in her heart, not wanting anyone to feel animosity towards her. 

If there was any truth in her, she was a people pleaser to her heart, never wanting to feel hate from anyone. If she sensed that someone didn't like a quirk in her, she would try to suppress it when they were around.

Did this mean she was spineless? Not in the least. From a young age, despite the strict household she was brought up in, she always had a strong sense of her opinions, which would be hard for anyone to change. That also went with her first impressions of someone; if they did something to rub her off in a bad way, then it would internally affect the way she saw them and how she treated them. People in her grandmother's town weren't an exception. 

When it wasn't too busy, she found herself in a corner of the bookstore reading books. Unlike in New York, being worried about men catcalling her for wearing dresses, no matter the length, there was a peace of mind she felt not having anyone bother her for her style. She wore a short floral midi dress, reaching to just below her knees. When sitting down, it rose a bit higher. 

She would always find herself on the floor in one of the aisles of the shop, sitting down barefoot engross in a book. No one had a problem with it, seeing that most folks were outside. Next to her was a cold cola, a straw at hand. She was reading the classic story of Tristan and Isolde; as a young girl, she was a fan of romance, especially one of those that have the lovers torn apart for them to be reunited again. Since then, she believed that she became a bit more realistic when it comes to love, knowing that in the real world something of that sort is pretty unrealistic.

Whenever she was engrossed in a story, it was hard to distract Tabitha from what she was doing. 

He managed to do that without much effort.

~~~~~~

If one were to look at him without knowing anything, you'd think he had it all. He was extremely handsome, tall, wore the right clothes. There was also an air about him, one that people knew not to question. 

When he first came to the town of Seahill, he wasn't sure of what to expect of the people, knowing they were known for their deep religious ties with the priest before him. There was also the fact that he was young compared to most priests who were given the responsibility to run a church. He was the mere age of 28, but he knew there were always big plans for his life, whether he had taken this route of not. 

He remembered telling his father about his choice to become a part of the Catholic church. Being the only child of his parents, it wasn't how they imagined him to go. His father wanted him to continue on with the family business, which was quite popular in the country; if he wasn't a priest, he would be one of the richest bachelors around. His father was never one for strict religious views, so the thought of going to the church was beyond preposterous. 

His mother, on the other hand, wasn't upset for the same reasons. Being a devout Catholic, she was happy to know she had taught her son the 'right' way, but there was a setback for her. There wouldn't be any grandchildren in their future. She was devastated knowing that the family line would stop at her son, but she never questioned his choice. She believed that if it truly was his calling, then he should do it. 

That was nine years ago. Now, he was a successful clergyman who was moving up the ranks in the Church. He was good at what he did, despite the looming disbelief others may have towards him. In the town of Seahill, many parishioners believed that he wasn't capable enough to survive as a priest, thinking his fall would be impending. He hated that others didn't believe in him. He was never one to seek out a relationship in his past. His parents worried that he hadn't liked girls at all, insinuating some desires elsewhere, but he denied it immediately. It was simply that he never found anyone good enough for him. There was no denying though, having women fall for him was good for his ego. He had yet to find a woman under the age of 40 who didn't find him attractive. 

He gave up quite a bit of things when entering the church, and the seeking of a romantic or sexual relationship was one of them. It wasn't that it bothered him at all, but it was the thought of not having something which enticed him. He always grew up having everything he wanted, so finding something that was denied to him would be a challenge. 

It was a nice summer day, the first time in a while he came outside and the sun was shining. He decided to go for a stroll before heading to the church for the preparation of the Friday morning mass. He decided to go to the bookshop to see if there was anything new for him to read. 

If he remembered correctly, which he did, the first person who treated him with kindness was Sonya Rampersaud. She was different than most members of the town, and it wasn't just because she was of a different race and culture. She was naturally a kindhearted human being who didn't judge others solely on first impressions. She gave everyone a chance to show their good side, despite what others may say of them, and he was no exception. Despite their differences in religion, her being a Protestant, they seemed to be able to talk quite a bit, forming a friendship over the years. 

He was happy to see her again after some hectic weeks at the church. 

"Morning, Father Foley!" He gave a curt nod and smile to a woman passing by, hoping there weren't too many people around today. He wasn't one for big crowds despite having to face them three times a week. 

He was wearing a thick maroon sweater and tweed pants. Some may think he was cold when he wasn't. It was all he ever cared to wear other than his outfit for the services. He was always a sweater guy from a young age, it was only now people complained about it. 

An internal sigh came to mind when he saw quite a bit of people entering the bookshop, no doubt wanting to spend an hour or two there. He was already here, so there wouldn't be any use to turn back. Maybe if he got lucky, he would get Sonya alone for a few moments to talk. 

When he entered the shop, there wasn't a person in sight, meaning that everyone was getting served some cold beverages. He decided to stroll the rows of books to see if there was anything he would like to read. 

When doing so, he saw something, something that he'd never expect to affect him. 

There was a strange girl, small, long dark hair. She wore a dress, blue, which complemented her tanned skin. His eyes lingered on her legs, bare for all to see. Something that shouldn't be shown for all eyes. His dark eyes saw the book she was reading, finding it a peculiar reading. He took notice of the iced drink at hand, staring as she brought it up to her lips, the straw going between her thick, slightly chapped lips. 

He gulped, not remembering ever taking notice of anyone in that way. He blamed her though, knowing that she shouldn't be wearing an outfit like that. 

Clearing his throat, he allowed his low, deep Irish accent fill her ears, "You shouldn't be out wearing dresses like that." 

He watched her reaction, her face finally looking up at him. 

My, wasn't she beautiful? She had big, brown eyes, eyelashes long and thick. Her nose was small but straight, the tip pointed upward like a doll. Her face was slightly full, but no doubt an oval face to it. Her eyes looked curious but somewhat uninterested in what he had to say. He never saw her before, so there was a very high chance that she didn't know him either. 

To her, he may just be an older man trying to reprimand her, which he was, but he was a revered man. To the people, his word was practically gospel. His eyes wandered down again, watching her small feet become involuntarily pointed, showing her red nail polished toes that were beginning to chip. 

He looked her in the eyes again, wondering if she would try to argue with him about it. Surprisingly, she didn't, but she didn't listen to either. 

Instead, she ignored him. 

She. Ignored. Stephen. 

There was something in his heart that bothered him by her actions. A disrespect he never remembered truly feeling by others. 

This girl was different, but he wasn't sure if it was for the good or not.

~~~~~~

Tabitha looked up at the deep voice who came to disrupt her reading.

He was a tall man, towering over the shelves made in the shop. His thick brown hair started to slightly curl in the front, drawing attention to his dark brown eyes. He wore a sweater and pants, which she found odd for the weather, but who was she to judge?

She took notice of his sharp features, a jawline that could cut someone, cheekbones high.

She knew he had to be older than her, not a chance they'd ever be anything. He was attractive, just not enough for her to go bonkers for like a Brad Pitt. Besides, he was at least ten years her senior. She wasn't up for that. 

So she ignored him and went on reading. Why should he critique her attire if no one else was?

She could feel his stare on her, most likely upset that she wasn't adhering to what he told her.

She decided before making a bad impression on this stranger, she would simply leave, taking the book with her. Her grandmother's shop was like a library to her. As long as she brought back the book in perfect condition, she had nothing to worry about.

Getting up slowly, she was making attempts to be sure her dress didn't ride up in front of him. Picking up the soda she had, she managed to walk past the tall man without really giving him a second glance, her bare feet walking across to her grandmother's cottage. 

He watched her actions, her sensual way of getting up in front of him, her way of sauntering by him, not looking at him. She walks straight towards the direction of Sonya's cottage in bare feet. Her short body getting smaller as he simply stood there. 

She was a minx, a vixen, much too young to understand what she is doing.

He blinked, standing still, not sure of what to exactly do. It did take him by surprise. The girl had taken him by surprise. 

"Stephen! It's so good to see you again. " He turned to see the elderly woman who owned the shop. He gave a small smile to her, walking in her direction. "It's good to see you too Sonya, have anything new for me?"

~~~~~~

About a month into her stay, Tabitha realized half of her summer was already over. She was having a pleasant time with her grandmother, realizing that they were much more in common than she had thought. Most nights they would read together, discussing the themes as if they were in a book club.

In the day sometimes she would listen to the radio, her love for music was immense. At home, she would often have to hide listening to the music, her parents not liking her to listen to anything but Christian songs. She did like Christian music, but they're still plenty of other songs she liked too. She loved David Bowie and Queen, who now most people would consider old music, even though it was barely five years since their latest albums came out. She also had a love for hip hop, growing up in the diverse community in Queens, New York. 

Currently, her favorite was 'Hey Lover' by LLcoolJ and Boys II Men. When she was alone, she would listen to the music, dancing by herself. It was hard for her to find the station at first, but thankfully it was a song that played in the pop station, surprisingly. 

She blasted the music loud in her room, forgetting everyone along with it. 

On a rare occasion, Stephen Foley would go to parishioners' houses, just to say a polite hello and see how they were doing. Sonya was different. She wasn't a parishioner at his church though she would attend since there wasn't a Protestant Church around. They would spend hours in theologic debate and the differences within the religions. Today was one of those days. Seeing that it was now August, it was extremely hot. He wore a lighter material shirt, a deep blue with long sleeves and no collar, just three buttons in the top front. He wore a regular pair of pants, knowing it was rare to do so; he didn't like for others to see him like this, as a regular man because he wasn't. He was unofficially the head of their town, whether others would like to acknowledge it or not.

She welcomed him with open arms, as always, both taking seats in her quaint living room.

As they were talking, there was the explicit sound of music, rambunctious noises coming from the upstairs of her home. He knew she wasn't one to listen to such things, so he wondered who it could be. 

Sonya probably took notice of his reaction. She gave him an apologetic smile, "I'm so sorry about that. It's just my granddaughter." Getting up slowly, she went by the stairs and called out a name a bit louder than he was used to hearing. "Tabitha! Tabitha! Please turn down the music, dear." Sonya walked back and smile a little, "I don't think I've told you about her, right?"

Stephen shook his head quietly, "No, we've been so indulged in our own discussions everything seems to be voided by us." 

"My granddaughter came to visit me in New York. Her family told her I was sick, but who are we kidding right?" The elder laughed at the last statement. Indeed, she was getting a lot weaker than when he first met her, but Stephen knew better than to say that. 

"Anyway, you may not have seen her around, usually helping me around a lot. Sweet girl. She either stays around the shop or puts on her music, though I do try to ask her not to blare it so loud. She must be so lonely being in a strange place with no one to talk to." She was going to tell him more, but he heard footsteps coming towards their direction. It took his attention away from the elder woman, not that she noticed though, she too looked in the same direction. 

Down the stairs came a young girl, a familiar girl. He saw her feet, now covered with short socks, yellow with a black stripe on the top edge. Her legs were bare until right above the knees, where she wore a denim skirt, the brown belt holding it up on her waist. He felt his eyes move up slowly, unwittingly taking in all of this girl.

Her hair was open, flowing lightly around her waist. There was an opening between her skirt and the hem of her shirt, which was short. It had a graphic on it of some character Stephen didn't remember, nor did he want to. It was long sleeve but slightly big on her shoulders, making it look oddly oversized. 

In his mind, she was emerging slowly like a movie scene introducing the pretty girl starring. The reality was her steps were quick, calling out to her grandmother. 

"Is there anything you need?" Her voice sounded soft and young. His eyes stayed focused on her lips, covered with some form of lip gloss he presumed, that became slightly smudged on her lips. For some time, he didn't realize what he was doing until he looked down at his shoes. 

When she had gone down the stairs, Tabitha noticed a figure sitting across from her grandmother. That didn't stop her track, running to her and asking her what she needed. Though her grandmother did tell her times before about keeping the music so loud, sometimes she would be in the moment and forget, but she guessed there was a proper reason for it this time around. 

"No dear, it's just that I needed you to lower down your music a bit as I have a guest over and all." Finally, she looked towards the man sitting down. Her eyes widened a bit, recognizing him immediately from the time at the shop. She knew he remembered her too, seeing him stare at her in a dumbfounded way. 

"This is Father Foley. He's the head priest at church." Oh, that place; Tabitha had no thought to go there simply because she wasn't Catholic. Why should she go somewhere that views similar things in such a different light? Besides, there were a lot of rituals she didn't understand about them. 

"Hello" She politely gave her hand so he could shake, hoping that maybe she could make a better impression of herself around him now. 

His hooded eyes looked at her small hand, which was polishes with a pastel purple color. He tilted his head before looking her in the eyes and shaking her hand lightly. "Hello." 

The young girl sat down right next to her grandmother, her skirt rising to her mid-thighs. He tried hard to not look at the view, gulping harshly, quickly paying attention back to the elder of the two females. 

The two continued to discuss for awhile the topic from before he took notice of the young girl giving him some looks, though they weren't the best. It was as if she wanted to say something but held her tongue. Good, he thought, young girls like her shouldn't be sharing their opinions of which they don't have a full understanding. 

Sonya got up a while later once again, this time to take her medication. There was an awkward silence between the two who were left alone. Tabitha had no interest in really talking to him, but she knew her grandmother wouldn't approve of ignoring the man, so she would only talk to him if he said something first. 

"How long will you be staying with your grandmother?" She finally looked him in his dark eyes. Something was masked behind them, not that she cared to find out. 

"Just until the end of summer. I need to head back to New York to start the new school year." He nodded, seemingly a bit interested. "So, you wouldn't stay here with your grandmother afterward?" She shook her head lightly, "No, my parents want me back home." He eyes flited by the stairs, "What were you listening to so loudly up there?" She shifted uncomfortableness came over her, knowing that he would judge her immensely if she spoke the truth, but what was the use in hiding? He couldn't do anything anyway. 

She shifted her position, now kneeling on both knees on the couch, hands sandwiched between her thighs. "I was listening to LLCoolJ and BoysIIMen's Hey Lover It's a pretty good song."

He wasn't familiar with the artist around now. When he was young there were different singers. The only thing he knew was that the lyrics he had heard were explicit. Nothing any teenager should listen to unless they wanted to act immorally. 

"You shouldn't be listening to that, have some respect for her grandmother." 

Anger rose inside her hearing his words, there he goes again judging her. "What's wrong with listening to that?" 

He knew she was challenging him, "You know why there are rather explicit lyrics in that song which suggest a sexual manner. If others were to hear and see you listen to that, they would think you're a certain type of girl." 

It took everything in her not to laugh in his face. Yes, if others heard her listening to that song, they would judge her. Well...maybe in this town they may. 

"A certain type of girl? What are you trying to insinuate, Father?" There was the quirk of her eyebrow, having the ability to read his thoughts. 

He cleared his throat, involuntarily looking her up and down again. His voice became lower whispering the next part, "Your grandmother is a respectable member of this town, don't do anything to tarnish her name." 

She had enough. Getting up, she looked at Father Foley straight in his dark eyes, something she wasn't used to doing. "Look here, Father, I would never do anything to harm my grandmother, physically or verbally, and how dare you to imply I would do anything like that? You're sick" Angrily, she stormed off back to her room, not wanting to hear another thing this man had to say. 

Stephen watched her go back, guilt washing over him. He knew better than to make such a claim about a girl he barely knew, but he knew the reason why he did that. It was the only way to feel justified for the way he felt around her, dare he say a bit aroused, not physically, but mentally. She piqued his interest in a way no one has ever really before, but it was wrong. She was over a decade younger than him, and she was the granddaughter of someone who he considered a friend. 

Shaking his thoughts off, he decided to take his leave before the situation escalates. Bidding his goodbye to Sonya, he decided to head to the church and get ready for mass. 


	2. Look What You've Done to Me

_ 15, end of August _

It was three days before her departure back to New York, and for some reason, Tabitha wasn't ready to head back. So far, most of her time here in Seahill was wonderful. The people, the landscape, just about everything. Except for one person, that priest. From the beginning, he rubbed her off the wrong way. It was to the point that he implied that she was going to put herself out there like a slut. Well, maybe not that far, but he could've if he wanted to.

She was going to miss spending time with her grandmother, who made quite an exceptional company, but they did agree to start talking over the phone a bit more often. A mutual bond was created in a matter of months.

Before leaving, she wanted to head somewhere nice, relaxing before she headed back. There was a small beach within walking distance. She decided to go and maybe take pictures. Her grandmother couldn't go with her. Sonya's strength wasn't enough to make the short trip. She allowed her granddaughter to go by herself, asking that she be back before sundown. Complying, she kissed her grandmother's cheek before taking a book and camera in her small bag and headed off.

Within an hour, she had reached, taking her time to admire the nature around her. In New York, everything is hidden behind industrial buildings and acid rain. She wore a long midi dress, covered with a floral pattern that covered her up to her ankles. It was midday when she arrived on the sand. The day was a bit windy. She took her time walking along the coast, mesmerized by the water creeping up onto the shore.

The sun shone, but it wasn't too hot of a day. The sky was set to rain, but she brushed the thought off.

She spent hours on the beach, taking several pictures, and sat on some rocks watching the ocean. She also started to read her book, a Thomas Hardy classic, Tess of d' Urbervilles. It was a classic tale that she believed tests society and their treatment towards women who are met with barricades frequently in life. Tess was thrown into a cycle she couldn't control, yet somehow was forced to take the repercussions of it. Alec was a despicable character, thinking his status and money could aid for his ill desires for Tess.

As she was reading, Tabitha felt droplets of water fall on her. When she looked up, she saw the rain starting to pour. Within minutes, it started to rain hard. She quickly ran for cover. She found a small cave-like structure to go under for the time being. Unfortunately, she didn't know what time it was, no doubt her grandmother may start worrying for her.

She started shivering from the wet clothes clinging onto her, and her hair thick with water holding it down. Tabitha pondered on how she was going to get herself out of this one, but little did she know someone was coming to her aid.

She saw dark shoes at the edge of the shelter and slowly crawled over to see who it was. Looking up, she saw the face of the person whom she wanted to see the least, Stephen Foley. He was wearing a thick sweater, a long scarf around his neck; who wore a scarf in the middle of August? She allowed questions to fleet feeling some relief wash over her seeing him with an umbrella.

"H-How did you know I was here?" She knew she needed to get out of the rain. The cold was getting to her.

"I didn't. I by chance saw someone running here and decided to check it out." He outstretched his hand for her to take. She was going to take it but pulled back, was it right to go with him?

After a moment of hesitance, Tabitha took his hand, using it to help get her out. They both were now under the umbrella, Stephen holding her close, quickly running to his car. Reaching inside the small vehicle, he started to drive, but not in a direction she recognized. Looking out the window, she asked him in a low voice, "Where are we going?"

Finally turning to her, he watched her small figure shivering. "My house." She turned to him, a confused look on his face, "Can't you take me back to my grandmothers?"

"There's going to be a thunderstorm, and being so close to the ocean isn't the best. My place is the closest. I'll call your grandmother when we reach my house." There was nothing she could say to him, or something that she wanted to say but chose not to. He took glances at her, feeling pity for her having to be in this situation. He looked straight, searching for her home.

Reaching there, she took notice of how big it was, compared to the other houses in the area. Was she surprised? Not really. In New York, it was known that the Catholic Church would always keep their men in well-off places. This care was thanks to the parishioner's money. Stephen got out first, taking hold of the large umbrella, heading to her side, opening the door. She came out, holding her belongings close to her.

They headed inside, greeted with some warmth the air outside lost. Putting the umbrella down, Stephen took off his dark shoes before walking into the house. Tabitha followed suit, trembling from the water sticking to her skin. He wanted to make sure she wouldn't get sick, so he led her further inside, taking her belongings at hand. He left her for a few moments, coming back with a towel at hand.

Giving it to her, he told her quietly, "The washroom is the first door to the right upstairs. You should hurry up before you catch a cold. You know your grandmother wouldn't be happy about that." She would say a retort against him, but he was right. Without saying a word to him, she followed his words.

As she was gone, he looked to see if there was anything in her belongings that needed drying. Was it wrong to snoop? Yes, but frankly, he didn't care. If there was something for her to hide, she shouldn't have taken it out in the first place. Stephen saw her camera first, deciding to wipe it dry. Her small bag was drenched. It needed drying. He then looked at the paperback that was also there. A scoff escaped his lips, reading the title. Tess of the d'Urbervilles was a title he despised, mocking religion with the characters, and the common practices of paganism. This was not a book she should read. 

Heading to his room, he knew she couldn't wear back the clothes from before, so he looked for something for her to wear. He took out a long t-shirt and a pair of his boxers. He was against giving her his underwear, but what choice was there really?

**Well** , his brain nagged, **you could've taken her back home.** Stephen grew angry with the thought, knowing it was true, despite what he told her. He just wanted her to see he wasn't the bad guy she suspected him to be.

Walking back downstairs, he knocked on the bathroom door.

"Tabitha, I left something for you to wear in my bed. You can leave your clothes there too. I'll put them to dry later." Assuming she heard him, he went to his living room, put up the fire in his fireplace, and decided to call her grandmother.

After a few rings, the line picked up, "Hello?"

"Sonya, this is Stephen. I just wanted to let you know that Tabitha is with me." He heard the relief in her voice by his words. "Thank goodness. I was so worried that she got caught in the storm. If you don't mind, can she stay with you for the night? I'll come to pick her up in the morning."

"It's not a problem. I'll bring Tabitha to yours tomorrow after breakfast. Don't worry about the journey. Have a good night."

"Night, Stephen."

Just as he hung up, he turned to see her figure there, hands behind her back, hair covering her face. He saw her body in his clothes, taking a deep swallow down his throat.

_ Lord _ , he thought to himself,  _ protect me tonight. Let me not fall into temptation. _

~~~~~

When she heard him through the bathroom door, Tabitha froze, keeping herself in the corner. She wasn't used to being alone with men unless it was her dad. What makes things worse was that she didn't trust Father Foley. She knew something was up with him even though she didn't know what it was.

Adhering to what he said, she went to his room and saw the clothes he left for her. It wasn't much but better than nothing. She watched herself in his mirror, seeing her hair covering her entire body. She limply lifted a strand, contemplating on it. Maybe she should cut it a little. What's the use of keeping it so long?

Heading back down, she heard him on the phone, no doubt with her grandmother. Hearing that she was going to stay the night was disheartening, but what choice did she have? At least it was a warm place rather than outside.

She saw him turn to her, her hair covering her face. They both stood there for a few moments before he finally decided to do something else. "Are you hungry?"

It was quite some time since she last ate, "Yes, thank you" She knew he was going to give her food, it was the right thing to do. If he was the man she thought he was, part of his charade was to give her something to eat.

He motioned for her to follow him into his kitchen, probably wanting her to tell him what she wanted. Not being a picky person, she said whatever he was going to eat, not wanting to trouble him any further.

He had a shepherd's pie his mother gave to him just the day before. Hopefully, she wasn't a picky eater. 

Thankfully for him, Tabitha lived in a household where leftovers were a necessity with how busy their lives were in New York.

Usually, being alone all the time, Stephen would sit in his kitchen thinking to himself. Maybe tonight it would be different. He was thankful for some company, even if it was in the form of a young girl who was too naive for her own sake. Instead, he suggested they sit near the fireplace since he knew she needed to stay warm so she wouldn't get sick. He had two armchairs, one leather and another more homely and plush. She went straight for the more comfortable of the two, pulling her legs up under the shirt, stretching it out. He watched her as they ate in silence. Tabitha's distant yes showed she was in her world. When she finished, he watched as she went towards the kitchen, most likely to put away her dish, and came back, but this time with the book that had gotten wet. It looked salvageable enough that she could turn the page at ease.

There was a bit of irritation on his part, seeing her read the book on the floor near the fire, so he decided to distract her from it.

"How is your book going?" She turned to him, eyes became wide with surprise that was talking with her. "It's going alright. I'm still only in the beginning though." He sat up now, "Really, which part are you on?"

"When she works for her cousin Alec, his deplorable actions towards her is something that wouldn't be tolerated today." He looked straight into the fire, his sharp jaw ticking in agitation.

"Well, she leads him on, the actions are mutual." Tabitha's eyes widened in shock, surprised to hear anyone say something so, so....old age. Did this priest really think that she was to blame for what happens to her?

"Quite frankly, I would have to disagree. Tess didn't have a choice, if it wasn't for her duty to her family I do think she would have left with his behavior towards her."

"She had entertained his behavior, better yet it was because of her that he wanted to make a move in the first place. Maybe if she had watched herself, she would not have had to live her life in turmoil." The young girl turned in his direction now, watching him with narrow eyes. "Is that what you really believe, Reverend Foley? That she is to blame for his actions?"

Stephen looked at her now, her hair now half dry, its thickness showing, the determined look in her eyes. "It was the way she looked at him."

Confused, she needed to hear this one, "What?"

Now he stood up, getting ready to head to the kitchen, "She should've never looked at him the way she did."

She was confused with his statement. People give eye contact all the time. Why would that be bad? What kind of priest was running this town? And how old was he to have such a mentality in the 90s?

He came back after ten minutes, two mugs in hand. He walked closer to Tabitha, to which she cowered back, not exactly sure why her body was reacting that way. She knew with no doubt that he took notice, but he just handed her the mug, looking at her with weary eyes before taking a seat on the chair she was on before.

Looking down at what he gave her, Tabitha took in the scent of the hot cocoa he made. It was nice, but she wondered if she could trust him. Of course, her mind argued, he's a priest he can't do anything to her, right? Slowly turning back, she saw him looking into the fire, taking a sip of the hot drink. She took notice of how the fire reflected in his eyes, he looked especially sinister like that.

Turning back, she took a sip of the beverage, immediately melting inside from the warmth.

There was another awkward moment of silence between them, the younger not sure of how she wanted to address the elder after what he had last said. Nonetheless, her parents taught her well, she should just thank him and wish him a good night, hoping he would leave her down here to sleep.

She got up, standing right in from of him; even sitting, he managed to be taller than her. Oh well, that was the curse of having two short parents.

"Father Foley, thank you for your kindness you've shown me today. You didn't have to do anything for me, but I thank you either way. I'm also sorry for my behavior towards you the last time we met. It was uncalled for, and I hope you'll forgive me for that."

His eyes raked up her small figure, seeing through the fire her body silhouette under his shirt. The small of her waist, to the curve of her breast, he looked into her eyes, wide with innocence as she thanked and apologized to him. He wasn't expecting her to do so, but inside he was grateful. Maybe she found the error of her ways, realizing that she was wrong in what she was doing, but he knew that wasn't it.

If she wasn't in this situation with him, she'd be ignoring him like always. Whenever he would head to the shop or go talk with her grandmother, she would go out of her way to avoid him, as if he was going to do something to her. The only thing he was upset about wasn't that she did that, but it was the fact he questioned himself, was he? Would he try to do something to her?

She was the only one who could look him straight in the eyes and make him question everything he believed about himself before.

Stephen took his time to stand up, she took a step back, the shadows from the fire made his entire face look evil now, his face straight. "Do you know why I said that?" Her eyebrows furrowed, not sure of what he was talking about. "Why I said she should not have looked at him like that?" Tabitha shook her head, now wanting to get away from the situation. She took her to leave by sitting on the chair, hoping he too would take a seat. At this point, she still looked at him straight on, hoping he would back off.

What he did instead, she wasn't expecting.

He walked even closer to her, bending down. Now both arms were on either side of the chair, trapping her in. His face moved closer to hers, now a few inches away. She took in a breath, wondering if she could maybe jump off and run for it now. She was a good runner, sprinter. Perhaps in no time, she could reach her grandmother's if she went for it now, but there was no place for her to move.

Stephen saw she was scared of him now, and enough he felt himself get off on it. Was he a sinister man, not by any means, but there was just something about this girl....he couldn't pinpoint it?

"The only time a girl should look at a man in that manner is when she's his wife. Otherwise, she would be like a lady of the night." Her face changed before him, from fearful to annoyed.

"Are you serious? A woman shouldn't look at a man unless they are married? What type of bullshit is that?" His eyes now were wide in surprise. No one has ever used such language in front of him, albeit a young woman.

Without thinking it through, his large hand flew, hitting her straight in the face. It was the only thing heard in that house. He started to breathe harshly, now realizing what he had done. She was still, her face turned sideways, redness forming in the shape of his hand on the spot.

His feet started to move no coherent thought formed in his mind. He got an icepack, going back to the young girl, and put it on her face.

"T-Tabitha, I'm sorry. I didn't realize what I was doing, but that should have never happened." The girl didn't say anything, only touching his hand, which he was using to hold the icepack to the bruise.

Maybe she pushed too far, but was she surprised? From the beginning, she knew he seemed to have a short fuse. Besides, cursing in front of a priest wasn't a wise choice. And he was sorry, right? It wasn't like she wasn't going to tell her grandmother if that's what he was worried about. She would have to admit to her language in front of him, which would disappoint her grandmother.

After another ten minutes of holding the ice to her face, he removed it, looking at the spot in question. His finger lightly brushed over the skin, her body flinched against him. Her skin was still a little red, but he knew there was going to be no bruise.

His fingers rubbed over the skin for a moment longer before moving away. "You can sleep in my room tonight. Don't worry. I'll stay somewhere else." Finally, her face turned towards him, but a ton of emotions swirled in her eyes, confused about what to do. No, her brain screamed, just do as he said, he won't do anything. He's sorry about it.

She nodded, walking back up the stairs muttering a soft goodnight.

When she was out of sight, he sat back down, anger fuming over his body. How could he let a girl allow him to lose his emotions in such a way? He was angry about how the loss of control he was, all because of one small girl, he thought.

Stephen stayed there for an hour, looking at the fire dissipating. The raindrops fell softer. The night was waning in. He decided he too should take his rest, let the emotions leave his body. He decided to head to his room, just for a moment. All he needed was a change of clothes and to make she Tabitha was alright.

Entering his room, he saw the young girl in his bed, sleeping soundly, uncovered but shivering. He knew he should just leave her, already causing enough trouble, but he still felt like doing this small act would make him the good guy. Taking his steps forward, he lifted her legs, pulling the heavy blankets over her. Instead of just taking his clothes as intended, he took a seat near his desk, looking at her sleeping figure. Never in his lifetime, he thought a girl would be in his bed, wearing his clothes. His fingers rubbed on the light scruff growing on his cheeks.

He walked up to her again, looking down at her. His fingers brushed back her hair, her skin feeling soft under his touch. No, he thought to himself, don't do anything you'll regret. Was this girl worth all the risk? He stood there for a moment longer, watching her long eyelashes move lightly as she breathed smooth breaths.

He then decided to do something, it was dumb on his part, but he did it anyway.

He didn't change his clothes as he intended, but he did go to the other side of the bed. Over the blankets, he laid down, making sure there was space between them. He watched as she turned away from him, wondering how she felt.

He was only supposed to stay there for a few minutes, knowing that he needed to get up and out before she freaked out. He was supposed to do that.

But instead, Stephen Foley, the head priest of the Seahill church, a man of morals, found himself sleeping next to a fifteen-year-old girl. A girl whose grandmother he was friends with and trusted him deeply. A girl who he may never see again after today.

A girl who managed to test his limits to no end.

A girl who unknowingly made his heart skip.

It was at that moment he realized his father was right, that becoming a Catholic priest would become a mistake he would make.

Feeling his body in an even breath, Tabitha opened her eyes, wondering how she was capable of staying so still. It was good. He thought her trembling was her being cold and not scared. 

Now, she wasn't so sure about what to do. She knew priests shouldn't be like this, especially towards young people.

Her eyes were now open wide, knowing she may not fall asleep till later on. Instead, she focused on the priest's breathing, making sure it was even and that he was sleeping, and it was not just a charade. She was afraid to turn, waking him in the process. 

The only time her parents slapped her was when she decided to rebel in her freshman year by not doing anything in one of her classes and failed. Well, also that she purposely threw away one of her books and claimed she lost it. Still, as a teen, they never hit her, not having a reason to, even when she used crass language. Other than the f and b words, she was free to say everything else.

Tabitha thought long and hard, knowing how he was a threat to her. She wasn't sure if she would be coming back next summer, but she would need to think whether or not to come back to visit her grandmother and face him again. This encounter was a warning sign, and if not taken seriously, he could do something worse next time.

~~~~~~

The next morning came a lot quicker than expected, maybe due to her falling asleep from exhaustion. She moved within the thick blankets, not wanting to get up just yet. Remembering where she was, she shot up quickly, looking around the room. He was nowhere in sight, which brought her some relief. 

Tabitha decided it would be good to put on her attire from before, hoping that it was fully dry from last night. By the fifteen minute mark she set for herself, her feet found themselves down in his kitchen, smelling the strong scent of eggs and toast. 

Stephen allowed her to sleep in, not wanting to scare her further by his actions. He knew this would be the last time he saw her, so he at least wanted it to end up on the right path. 

Stephen heard her footsteps come down the stairs. He didn't turn, not wanting her to think he was expecting her, but continued to make breakfast. If there was anything he was thankful for, he could make a simple breakfast, or else he would starve most days. Usually, his mother would give him something, or some older women in the church would occasionally give him some delights to have. 

Finished, he turned to her with two plates of food, seeing her in the clothes from yesterday. A small "Thank You" was muttered from her, choosing to eat in silence. He complied, looking at her as he sipped his coffee. 

By midday, the priest had dropped the young girl off to her thankful grandmother. Neither muttered a word about what had transpired the night before, Tabitha running away from him, as she did on previous occasions. He found himself distracted most of the day, his thoughts lingering on her. 

~~~~~~

It was finally the day she was leaving, and she was glad to head home. She loved her grandmother, but there's nothing like home for a teen halfway across the world from her parents she loved. 

This time, Father Foley offered to drop them off at the airport; Sonya had managed to pack quite a bit of souvenir that made her granddaughter's bag heavy. The young girl wore some denim overalls and a solid mustard-colored top. It was the most conservative thing he saw her wear, though he didn't see her too often. 

When reaching the part to depart and be on her own, Tabitha hugged her grandmother for a long time, knowing she will miss her dearly.

"I hope your stay here wasn't too bad. If anything, you can always come back next year." Involuntarily, she looked at the priest with a sense of uneasiness before smiling at her grandmother, "Of course!" 

Stephen felt guilt in his heart when she looked at him like that. He received several types of looks from people, but when she looked at him like that, with muted fear, he knew she didn't trust him. Did he blame her? Not really, but with his field of work, there shouldn't be anyone who felt that way around him, a man of God. 

When he had gone home, he sat down in his room for a while, looking onto his bed, remembering her sleeping figure from a few nights before. Shaking his head, he turned to his desk, pulling out some paper from his drawer, along with a pencil. 

For hours, he just sat there, writing non-stop. For the first time, he felt he had something to confess, not to anyone but himself.


	3. Say You'll Be There

15, mid- June 

When she was younger, Tabitha never thought much of what she would do if she were to have a grand party. Of course, she wanted a big dress and decorations so intricate that people would be in awe, but not specifics.

Well, she knew one thing, she was going to have a sweet sixteen, even if the majority of her family weren't around.

Her birthday was in two weeks, yet somehow she found herself going to Ireland instead of Manhattan with friends. She loved the country and her grandmother, but she wanted her party with people she knew.

Tabitha tried to reason with her parents about the situation, wanting to at least celebrate before she went, but it was a flat no. They couldn't afford to both have her party and send her to her grandmother's. Knowing how family came first, she finally conceded to their command, wanting to do what was right. 

But that didn't stop her from grumbling about it.

  
There was a catch she was able to get her parents with; these were one of the moments when she was glad she was smart. She had saved money over the year, wanting to go to the Spice Girls concert when she went to Ireland. Well, not exactly in Ireland...more like London, but she was sure her grandmother would be happy to go with her. Tabitha's parents weren't too happy hearing how she spent money on concert tickets, but they did agree to see that she wasn't able to do anything else for her birthday. 

Now all she had to do was count down the days till she turned 16. Oh, and tell her grandmother, of course. 

  
Finishing her exams early, her school allowed an early leave, allowing her mother to pick up her report card. She was off again, excited to see her grandmother after ten months. 

  
As promised, she called her grandmother often. They could talk for hours at a time. The townspeople asked how the young girl was doing, finding her now to be a part of their community.

The only time the latter would get quiet was when Sonya would mention Stephen, Father Foley. From her grandmother's perspective, he had quite a year. The church in the Vatican thought that he was doing well where he was and offered him to move up in rank, so he had gone for some time to visit. Sonya did admit to her granddaughter that she was alone without the priest, being the only one to hold her interest for such a long period. Her grandmother believed that soon he would be a prominent man in Ireland for his position, but Tabitha wondered if it was right. Then again, she didn't know how everyone else interacted with him or what he would do as a priest. 

  
Now, she was back where she was a year ago, landing in the green country, anticipating the crisp air to greet her. This time around, she made sure to get some sort of sleep, and she bought herself a walkman and tons of CDs she collected over the year. Similar to last year, no one bothered her upfront, but this year there was some difference, especially with the guy she ended up sitting next to on the journey. She tended to cover herself with a thin blanket she had at hand, not appreciating the glances he would pass by her now and then. 

  
Tabitha thought what she wore was normal, at least to travel. She wore an olive-green overalls dress reaching close to her knees, a plain white shirt underneath. Maybe it was because she managed to get a bit thinner in the last few months, allowing her face to look not as childlike as before. She wasn't sure, but at least now she could run straight for the exit. 

  
She felt herself go through the motions once more, but now she felt as though it was a procedure she found reoccurring in her life. That thought brought a small laugh out, people looking at her. Barely sixteen yet and managed to make herself sound as though she lived a full cycle of memories. 

  
The main difference of her arrival was that her grandmother wasn't alone like before. There was also a warily familiar face daunting in height over Grandma Sonya, who held a thin metal cane in her left hand. 

  
She knew that her grandmother was a bit more sickly than before, but not to the point of needing a cane to support her. In her eyes, Tabitha thought that her grandmother was on the young side, barely 62 years old, but due to unfortunate genetics, was faced with several health complications that no one should ever face. 

  
"Tabitha!" The sound of her grandmother's voice made her smile, running to her and giving a warm hug. The elder of the women kissed her forehead, glad to have some blood kin around her again. 

  
For years her family has asked her to move to New York or Canada, believing that being closer to her would help Sonya out. She refused, not wanting to give up her independence altogether. Being married to her husband for several years, there were some restrictions she faced. Not anything life-threatening, but when her husband did pass after thirty-five years of marriage, she embraced the freedom of an empty nest a lot better than expected. 

  
She wasn't used to depending on others, and Sonya wasn't going to lose face now. At least, not in front of her grandbaby. She took a good look at the young lady. Yes, lady, not girl. Fondly, she remembered what it was like to be nearing 16 at her age, an oddly magical time. After some moments, she noticed the biggest (and most obvious) change made. 

"Your hair!" 

A chuckle erupted from the elder woman seeing the length of Tabitha's hair now just above her shoulders, a straight middle part that she never would out her hair in before. Her hair was pretty thick, so the hair looked voluptuous despite the parting in her grandmother's opinion, who had admired her granddaughter's long hair. 

  
Tabitha simply wanted change, and she was trying to follow Victoria Adams, well soon to be Victoria Beckham's style choices a little, even if it was just the hair for now. She liked the feeling of shorter hair. It felt lighter and freer, her face looked different than before, which wasn't a bad thing. She was able to pull off dark color lipsticks, making her feel like she could pull off the model look if she forgot about how short she was. 

  
Both smiled at one another before they were interrupted by another voice, well someone trying to bring them back to reality a little. "We should get going now." Turning her head, Tabitha finally took a look at Father Foley, her head tilting a little in curiosity, seeing his own type of change. 

  
He grew out a beard, on the thicker side, and perfectly trimmed by her estimate. It looked rather nice on him, making him seem just a bit less sinister than he could be. He also grew out his hair a little, not by a lot, but it was possibly an inch higher than before, enough to make it look bigger and bring out some slight curls. 

  
Just as she assessed him, Stephen did the same, just not as openly as she had done. When first seeing her approach, he thought another girl had come in her place. She didn't look the same, and it wasn't just because of her hair. 

  
Her body formed a lot more than before, last year it was there, but now it was more...cultivated. Through her dress, one could see the curving of her hips, which were on the larger side, but it wasn't anything bad. Being paired with a small waist did well for her. His eyes had drifted up, seeing that her chest also grew. He swallowed harshly. His eyes didn't leave her body. 

  
After she had left last August, for the first few days, he had berated himself for his behavior, but eventually, he sought God's forgiveness. Going to another county a few hours out, he confessed his sin to another, hoping they wouldn't recognize him.

For the rest of the time, he was perfectly fine. There wasn't another event of that nature that happened with anyone, at the church, or anywhere else. Stephen thought he was doing good, thinking that he would contain himself when being tempted again. 

The only thing he could do was ask God for help with this desire rising in him, something he believed he shouldn't have, not for a minor on top of that.

She did look mature compared to last year, the short hair taking to her face well. Her face thinned a bit, not chubby in the cheeks as before, her jaw more prominent. 

  
She seemed to be just as sweet to her grandmother as before, ignoring him and everyone else around. He couldn't say he didn't mind her behavior towards him. She should still treat him with respect despite the conflict during their last meaning. 

  
No matter what parishioners would disagree with him or his ideologies (which was rare), they would still treat him with the respect that was due to him. Stephen was a member of the Roman Catholic church, in line to move up to a bishop. The last thing he needed was someone questioning his position and role, even from a young girl who didn't know what was good for her. 

  
Glancing around quickly, he noticed other men also staring at her, well, more of her back than anywhere else. Immediately he tried to make them leave, knowing this wasn't a safe place for neither of them anymore. 

  
"Let's go. The car isn't too far from here." If he didn't have this beard, then she would've noticed how his cheeks turned color at her scrutiny. She seemed pleased with his look, though it shouldn't be surprising to him it was. He was used to women ogling him, often harassing him to go out on a date. There was just something about Tabitha that made him not mind as much. 

  
Having the urge to protect her, and her ever so bare legs, he went right behind her and kept a hand near the small of her back, hiding her. He felt her body stiffen under his touch as if she had warned herself. He wanted to tell her there wasn't anything to worry about, but other questions would arise that he didn't care for anyone to ask. He wished he had a jacket to cover her with instead. 

  
~~~

About 30 minutes into the drive was when they all became quiet. Sonya had fallen asleep. The new medication she had to take made her like that. Now there was just Tabitha and Stephen, the latter of the two in the back seat listening to music. He found it disrespectful that she wouldn't talk to him, but it was better not to say a thing. They were driving in a rocky area. His concentration needed to be there rather than figuring out if he is liked or not by some teenager.

  
But she isn't just some teenager, his thoughts quickly reminded him. Looking through the rearview mirror, he saw her drift off into space, her fingers lingering towards the open air outside the window. 

Her breathing was even. She was glad there wasn't any sort of anxiousness around the priest. Tabitha listened to her grandmother talk about the changes she made over the past year, not being able to open the shop as much, needing to go to the hospital often. She had caught the flu in the middle of December, which saddened the younger that her grandmother didn't utter a word about it. 

She often heard her parents talk about persuading her grandmother to come to New York and reside there, but she refused. Though she understood that her grandmother did need care, Tabitha also understood that her freedom was the last thing she had.

Instead, Grandma Sonya said that Father Foley had become a big help to her, coming daily to make sure she was alright. He was the only one able to help her when she was sick in December. He had even learned to cook to make sure she had a hot meal. 

In other words, what Tabitha was hearing is that he was practically an angel, but she couldn't argue with her grandmother. In her grandmother's eyes, he was the one sacrificing his time and effort on her, someone who wasn't related to by any means, not even someone who goes to his church. 

She mentioned that when she ended up on bed rest, he would come every morning and read the Bible with her, not having a theologic debate since her lung capacity at the time wasn't high enough, but she appreciated it either way. 

Tabitha finally glanced at the priest. Maybe she did misunderstand him last year. He seemed to be a decent person from his heart, but something was off about him. That, she knew for sure. There's no way a man considered this much of a saint to others could just 'attack' her, but then again, she did curse at him in a heated moment, something any adult would do. 

  
When Sonya woke up, they had finally reached her cottage. Tabitha helped her to exit the car while Stephen got the bags. They all headed to the living room where Sonya laid down, Tabitha going to the kitchen to get water, and Stephen resting the bags near the stairs.

When Tabitha turned, she took notice of how big the man was, his head nearly reaching the ceiling. He didn't seem to notice her stare, but he told the elder of the two women that he would be back to make dinner. After taking his leave, the young girl took a seat next to her grandmother, happy to see she was alright.

"You know, it's so sad he's in the Church" giving an odd look, Tabitha tried to ask her grandmother what exactly she had meant by that.

  
"What are you talking about?"

Her grandmother smiled, "Oh, you know! He's such a handsome man and for him to give it all up for the Catholic Church in my opinion is sad. If only he was an Anglican or Protestant, he could've found himself a nice gal and have a family. I feel he may have been happier."

"Grandma, I know you mean well, but you can't assume that he would be happier if he had a wife and children. He had his reasons for choosing this path, and he'll just have to live with it." Tabitha wasn't sure why she was defending him. It was quite clear to her that he indeed wanted more than to be a priest his whole life.

"Don't you think him handsome?" The latter choked on thin air and saliva, hearing the question. She admits yes, he was handsome, but she was afraid if she voiced her thought, her grandmother may say stuff she didn't want to hear. "I suppose so. I mean, he's more on the sullen side for hints, but there's something there." Sonya chuckled, "You're right. He's oddly sheepish towards the female eye. I wonder sometimes why he chose this path, but it's not in my place to ask him that question." The young girl agreed, despite her curiosity, it wasn't right to ask him that if he wasn't comfortable. 

  
Leaving her grandmother for a few moments, she decided to head off into the once familiar room that would once again become her abode for the summer. As she was unpacking, she found the tickets she kept pristine, remembering to ask her grandmother about it later.

~~~

Dinner came a lot quicker than Tabitha expected. She was too preoccupied trying to get everything back to her liking. It wasn't that her grandmother changed anything in the room, but she did decorate it a bit with her new stuff, as they say, in with the new out with the old. 

  
She didn't head down the stairs until hearing the gruff voice of Father Foley, knowing she would soon be asking for her. Well, she assumed that he would, seeing that she expected him to be obsessed with her. Was it true? She wasn't sure, though, in reality, it was highly unlikely. Walking down the stairs, she took in the fragrant food climbing up the stairs. She didn't anticipate just how much food would be there or how great it was. She knew her grandmother didn't make it, so it had to the priest. It did surprise her that he could cook well, being a beginner and all. 

  
Seeing there was still a table to set, she offered to do so, seeing that there wasn't anyone else who could do the task. Within minutes, all three members sat down on the square table in the kitchen. With the food covering most of the table, it seemed that Stephen was at the 'head' of the table, with Sonya and Tabitha on either side of him. They all said grace before passing out the food, to which the youngest was more than excited to eat. 

  
There was mostly small talk going around, most of the elder and her health issues. Tabitha took this as a mental note to help in aiding her grandmother. Not that she wouldn't do that, but now her grandmother couldn't walk too much, so she would have to pull the weight of two people. 

  
She wasn't sure if it would be best to bring up the tickets now, but knowing plans would need to be set, now was better than never. 

  
Clearing her throat a little, she waited for the two elder members of the table to pay attention to her before telling them what was on her mind. "Well, Grandma, you know it's my 16th birthday coming up-"

"Yes! And I can't wait to celebrate it with you; you'll be the only grandchild I had the chance to do this with." Guilt entered Tabitha hearing this. Her grandmother was so excited to do something she wasn't fully capable of doing. "Well...I kinda had plans?" A nervous smile came across her face.

Perplexed, her grandmother asked her to elaborate, "Back home, since we weren't able to celebrate, ma and dad agreed that I would do something I wanted to do, so I bought tickets to the Spice Girls' concert ....in London." She didn't dare look up now. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Seeing that her grandmother didn't say anything, and Father Foley's stare was burning holes through her, she merely picked at her food, not sure of which way this would go. 

Maybe he was expecting this, for Tabitha to do something uncouth, as she always managed to do. He thought it selfish that she would want to head off to England to attend a concert when her grandmother was sick. He understood she was a teenager and wanted to do what she wanted for her birthday, but this was a bit much. For birthdays people shouldn't do things over the top. He didn't say anything. She wasn't his child, not that it would stop him. He trusted Sonya's judgment, being one not quick to anger. She'll most likely try to talk the girl out of it. 

"Well, dear, since you planned that already with your parents' approval, then I guess we'll have to go along with it." Both Tabitha and Stephen opened their eyes wide, not expecting that response from her. 

  
"Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to make the trip, but we can always celebrate when you get back." Did this mean she could go by herself? That would be so cool! Experiencing life on her own for a few days, without anyone to be with her.

"So, you're letting her off on her own?" She felt her eyes spread annoyance towards the priest, wondering why he always had something extra to say. Her grandmother laughed, "Of course not! She's too young to make that trip herself. I guess I should ask you before assuming, so I apologize, but could you accompany my granddaughter on her trip?" 

Stephen wasn't expecting this at all, well first that she would allow her to go, but with him too? It would allow him time to get to know the girl a bit more, but with her resentment already made against him, it would be hard. Without Sonya there, things may be hostile. Knowing Tabitha from the previous year, she wasn't easily prone to listen to him, but maybe in a different country, she might behave herself. 

  
He never really thought of going to England. The desire was never there. It would give him a chance to experience a different atmosphere, but there was the underlying reason. Stephen wanted to start over with the young girl, not wanting to give her a reason to hate him. Scratching his beard, he gave it some thought, then answered. "Of course, anything to help you, two ladies, out." He finally turned to young Tabitha, giving her a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He was wary of her, not knowing what she would do. 

  
Tabitha's eyes widened, hearing his agreement with her grandmother. Her dream was now starting to become a nightmare, not wanting to be alone with the priest. Maybe she could get out of it, but the money. She had spent most of her money on it, and it would be a waste not to go now. She watched his smile, wanting nothing more than to roll her eyes at him. This situation really couldn't be happening. Now, she had to guard herself around him.

She wanted to find any excuse not to go with him, but maybe she could convince her grandmother to go. "Grandma, you sure you can't make it too? I mean, we could all just take the train straight there. It would be so nice!" Her mother always said she was good at 'mamaguying' what she believed was a Caribbean term for someone good at persuading, getting people to do what they want.

There was a small light of hope in Tabitha's eyes, hoping that she wouldn't have a similar event as the year before with the priest.

  
Soon, Father Foley's eyes narrowed at the young girl, knowing what she was doing. She was afraid of him, wasn't she? She managed to divert from him in almost every way since leaving the airport. He didn't know whether it should be a good thing or not. At least this meant there would not be too much trouble from her. 

  
Sonya laughed lightly at her granddaughter's suggestion. It did sound nice, taking a break from her surroundings for a bit; it would've also been nice to spend time relaxing with a family member. If only she weren't so sick, "Oh, dear, I wish I could. Don't worry, Stephen here will take good care of you, right?" She looked to the man who she leaned onto for the past few months now. He was a better man than most she met in her lifetime. She would've been so proud to raise a boy like him up. Not that her children were terrible, but he took the extra mile. 

  
Tabitha knew now she had no choice but comply. Her eyes slowly turned towards the priest's, his dark eyes trying to gauge what she was feeling. She tried to give a small but awkward smile. There was the countdown now, just barely two weeks until they had to go. It was up to her now to gain courage and build up caution around him.

  
Within the hour, they all bid goodnight. Both the young girl and man helped Sonya into her bed, meaning that Tabitha had to lock up. Before leaving, Father Foley offered to help clean up the leftovers from dinner, but she declined, not wanting him around now that her grandmother wasn't around. 

  
It wasn't like he had listened, though. He stayed to help clean up, stating that Tabitha was only on an airplane hours before, and she must be tired. 

  
As he cleaned up the table, she washed the dishes, which wasn't too much compared to how it was back in New York. After, she decided to dust the living area a little knowing her grandmother spends most of her time there. By the time she was finished everything else was back in place thanks to Father Foley, so she was finally ready to say goodnight. Hopefully, he would take the hint. 

  
Stephen saw as the young girl did her tasks, watching her body move gracefully. He felt his eyes becoming darker when she had to tip-toe to fix the dishwares into the designated cupboard. He would clear his throat a little going back to what he was doing, but he knew what was happening. It was coming back to him again. 

  
He knew it would be best to get out of here now, so when she finished cleaning out the front a bit, he decided to call it a night. 

  
Walking up to her, he took notice of their height difference now that she wasn't wearing shoes. She didn't grow height-wise. He was over a foot taller than her, craning her neck up to make eye contact with him. 

  
"It was nice seeing you again" Though he knew she only said it to appease him, his heart skipped a beat hearing those words with her soft voice. He tried to smile back, scratching his beard, "It's good seeing you too, Tabitha. Your grandmother would be enjoying your company over the time of your stay." 

Neither mentioned the impending trip. It was too much to think about for that time of night. They both walked towards the door. He gave her a small nod as his goodbye, to which she returned a wave. She didn't close the door till she saw his car go off into the darkness, making sure he left. 

  
She checked the clock on the mantel, nine at night. All she wanted was to take a hot shower, washing off all the events of the last 36 hours. 

  
Tabitha ran up the stairs, taking off all the lights along the way. 

Unlike the girl who wanted to rest, Stephen was restless as he drove. He didn't know what he would be doing now that he was forced to spend time with the girl with her voluntarism. He felt like God was making him face his temptation as if it was a test. He shook his head. No, God doesn't do things to harm His followers. It was the devil trying to make Stephen falter. 

  
He knew it was a test. Now, the rest lies in what would transpire two weeks from then. 

  
Reaching home, he washed his face, trying to get himself back into reality, but it was too hard. That night, for the first time since last August, he dreamt of the young girl, in the dress from the first time they met, bare feet with red polished toes. He remembered waking up with a cold sweat that night, knowing it was wrong for that to be what he wanted. 

He then went to his desk, unlocking it with his hidden key, and wrote out his emotions as he did before, hoping it would help calm him down. Now, it was up to him to know what the next step would be. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :) As this story continues, there will be more characters added in, and the plot will be more complexed over time. Next time both Tabitha and Father Foley will have to face the truths when alone in England, attempting to celebrate her turning 16. Let's just hope for the best for Tabs. 
> 
> I love hearing your thoughts, if you want to ask questions feel free to do so on my official side-Tumblr for my stories:   
> https://moonlight-drawn-by-dawn.tumblr.com/
> 
> Have a great day <3


	4. Take My Breath Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the train ride to London, Tabitha explores and meets a new face. Father Foley isn't happy about her disobedience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has questions, wants to make submissions, or even say hi come visite the official blog for my stories: 
> 
> https://moonlight-drawn-by-dawn.tumblr.com/

Today was the day, and so far, it was perfect. The sun was shining bright, a light wind blowing, everything was going according to the time they planned. 

Tabitha was happy, really happy, about what was going to happen. Within 36 hours, she would be in London, celebrating turning sixteen while jumping and raving for her favorite girl group. It would've been better if she could choose who to go with, but she guessed not everything would be perfect.

Currently, she was standing in the station waiting for the train to arrive, the suitcase at hand. Her left foot twisted around in a circular motion, anxious as the seconds felt stretched out against her favor. She was near the seating bench but refused to relax. Her brown eyes kept checking the station clock, ever so often hoping it would be 9 am; there were still fifteen minutes to go. 

Unlike the young girl, Stephen sat down, newspaper at hand. Though he was reading it, he took a glance at her once in a while at her jumpy behavior. If a lack of patience is considered a mortal sin, Tabitha would be on the top of the list to hell by the way she was carrying on. From the beginning, she was only holding tight onto her small suitcase; even though they were only going to be there for a day, she wanted to stay prepared. He only had a small duffle bag with everything enough for the day ahead. 

It was Tuesday, so hopefully, by Thursday evening, they would be back to Seahill. He needed to get ready for Friday Mass. Stephen began to sort out his sermon on the train ride to London. Curiosity peaked in his mind wondering what Tabitha would do during that time. Maybe she would read a book like last time, hopefully not anything like the book from last time, but as long as she behaved, he would be fine. Being quiet wouldn't be hard on her end though, she wasn't never one to try to speak to him. 

Maybe, just maybe during this trip, they would grow closer, on a spiritual level, of course. Tabitha may not view him as much of a bad guy after the trip. 

As he found his mind wandering as the minutes went by, light brown eyes drifted onto the outfit the young girl wore. She wore a denim skirt that ended at her knees, along with a dusky pink blouse with a denim jacket over it. Throughout their journey to the station, he told Tabitha about wearing such a short skirt. It would lead men on, showing so much skin. He knew she didn't want to hear that, but it was the truth, at least from the view of the church. He knew if she wore this in front of the town folks, they would say backhand comments about her. 

Tabitha didn't like his critique one bit, inadvertently covering her legs whenever he would look at them when she was sitting in the ride there. If he had a problem with her skirt, then seeing her full blouse, he would have a fit. Foley would always act like he's better than her, and well, everyone else in town too. Maybe that's why she felt him getting under her skin more than anyone else. He walked around like he was the best thing since sliced bread, many seeking his advice while he was half their age. Her jaw rolled as she felt his eyes on her legs again, fingers quick to tug her skirt to avert his gaze. 

Many people were waiting for the train to arrive along with the odd duo. One person in particular stood out. Just not to Tabitha, nor Stephen. They stood out to the figure, though. Hooded eyes looked at the two ten feet away, wondering what their story was. Why would such a young girl like her be with a man like Stephen, dressed up a little older than his age? The figure watched the girl's focused expressions towards how long the wait would last, along with Father Foley's repeated offense of raking his eyes through the girl standing before him, not like the stranger could blame him. 

Though it seemed like forever, the train finally arrived. Tabitha was overly anxious, but Father Foley held her arm back gently, quietly telling her to give it a few moments. Instead of pulling away as he was expecting, she only stiffened but complied with what he wanted. It may be because of how badly she wanted the day to go well. 

They finally headed inside, now choosing the seats they wanted; Stephen decided to take the left side, a section of four seats where they were facing one another in rows of two. Knowing that he wouldn't want her to sit too far away, she sat diagonal of him, letting the sun hit her face. She felt butterflies in her stomach, counting down till she headed to the concert. The plus of that was that Father Foley wouldn't be there with her. She would finally start doing things like an adult, every girl's dream. 

In her small carryon bag, she took out two things, a sketchbook, and a camera. This year she decided to go back into her love of drawing; she was always good at it, so why not invest more time into practicing? During her trip, she wanted to take as many pictures as possible, not only to show her family back home but also her grandmother. They may not be sharing the experience firsthand, but she would make sure her Grandma Sonya would somehow experience it. She stole glances at the priest, now finished with his paper, and now taking out a small book of his own to write in. Her eyebrows furrowed, wondering what he was going to write, but it wasn't her business to know.

~~~

It was going to be a twelve-hour train ride to London; they were currently in the third hour. Tabitha tried to keep herself busy with drawing, listening to music, and reading a bit. She couldn't stay still, not wanting to let her legs sleep. Bored, she propped her head on her fist, watching the priest read his book. It was non-fiction, a memoir of some sort. He must've felt her stare, looking back at her with slightly surprised eyes. He supposed he never thought she would be the one to do that, but he basked it in. 

"You alright?" Tabitha nodded, watching the view outside. She never saw anything this serene in New York. There, everything was so fast-paced, polluted air surrounding her every step with people pushing their way through life. She like that about Ireland; that you can always have a moment to take a breath and look at life's beauties. She looked down at her bag, eyeing her sketchbook. She had only taken up drawing again in the past six months but found it to pass the time and to release her stress.

Maybe she needed new scenery to take her mind off things. Looking back at Father Foley, she decided to let him know about her move. "I'll just be heading a little further up. You'll be able to see me."

Stephen's mouth twisted up in a heinous way, "No, don't leave. Your grandmother wouldn't be happy if anything were to happen to you. Just stay here." She rolled her eyes at his behavior, sounding like a parent.

"I'm not going to sit here all day bored out of my mind. If you're so worried, follow me." _It's not like he's past that anyway. T_ here was a cringe going through her as she thought that. With that thought in mind, Tabitha went towards the other side of the train. 

Stephen threw an annoyed look towards her as she had gone her way. He would tell her grandmother about her behavior. He shook his head, thinking for a second he was treating her like a toddler, but she was acting like one. What was he supposed to do?

His mind then drifts back to moments before, when she was looking at him. He blinked, oddly wishing she was content in just doing that.

Shaking those thoughts away from him, he decided to continue his book. Maybe, Tabitha would come back quicker if she saw he wasn't going to follow her.

~~~

After finally finishing his novel, Stephen finally looked at his watch. His eyes widened a fraction seeing what time it was. For one thing, he was a slow reader, wanting to absorb what he was reading. Second off, hours had passed since Tabitha was here with him. Looking towards her seat, he saw it was empty, but her things were still there.

Worried, he shot up, deciding to look for her. All sorts of thoughts were going through his mind. What if Tabitha was taken by someone? How about if she got hurt?

He wouldn't know what to tell her grandmother if anything were to happen to the girl. After rushing through two cars, calling out her name loudly, many passengers giving him odd looks, he finally found her. 

She wasn't alone.

She sat seated, animatedly in conversation with the man across from her. Jealousy surged within him, seeing how her behavior was so different. He's never once seen her like that, and it irked him knowing some stranger was able to do that.

Quiet now, he walked towards her. She was oblivious to his emerging; that was until the man she was across broke contact with her to look up at Stephen. The priest knew he gave that man a dark look.

Watching the strangers face, young Tabitha got quiet, as if she knew who was behind her. Turning around, he watched her wide-eyed looking at him.

"Father Foley..." her voice was softer now, knowing she did wrong.

~~~

_4 hours before_

When Tabitha had left the cart, all she was hoping for was new scenery, anything to catch her eyes wanting to distract her. She saw all types of people there; families with small children looking out the window in wonder, men and women alone sleeping on themselves, even businessmen using those new phones.

She heard you need an electrical connection to use them. How were they able to do that? The idea sounded cool, to call anyone anywhere; she wanted one for the moment seeing how bored she was. Mobile phones were expensive. The concert tickets were cheap compared to cellular phones. Maybe when she got older and had a substantial job, she could get one of her own, and she wouldn't be as lonely.

Tabitha was standing in the middle of the lane, staring out into space with her thoughts on advancing technology. The sudden bump the train made took her by surprise, nearly falling over if it weren't for a hand to grab her arm quickly.

"Easy there" surprisingly, this person didn't have a strong Irish or European accent, but there was a trace of one. The person had a firm grip, but not strong enough to leave a mark on her. She finally decided to look up and turn around, wanting to see who it was that helped her out.

She was surprised to see that the person who helped her was not who she was expecting physical wise; that sounded wrong on many levels, but it was the only way she could phrase it. He was Asian, eyes slightly on the bigger side; she took notice of the specks of light brown in the midst of the dark brown as his eyes glossed over her. His hair was on the short, sides were buzz cut while the top was grown out, slightly touching his forehead. His nose was straight and round, and his lips. Gosh, those lips looked nice, they weren't big but not small ...Full, yes full was the right word to use.

She found herself feeling butterflies in her stomach as she kept staring at him, with her wide eyes from the situation. 

"T-Thank you" She was face-palming herself mentally, hearing how she sounded with a small voice, timid. She finally stood up straight once more. There was a height difference between the two strangers. He looked down at her, a foreign look in his eyes. A small smile then showed off his white teeth.

"No problem" although the rails were now smooth, he still held onto her arm, looking down at her. 

Tabitha locked her bottom lip in between her teeth, looking up through her eyelashes. This must be what instant attraction must feel like. She tried to pull her arm away from a little, indicating he could let go. 

He finally broke contact, looking away as a nervous laugh came off his lips. Brown eyes looked down to her feet, knowing her feelings weren't right. He must be as old as Father Foley, which was bad enough. She pulled some ear behind her ear, putting her arms down to her sides. 

"Are you here alone?"

She looked up at him again, shaking her head, "No, I'm with someone, but I was looking around. A twelve-hour train ride would be hell if you just sit down bored." He nodded, "of course, I supposed you came around to see if there would be something else to do." He then walked past her to a seat behind her. It was an empty section other than his belongings. "If you'd like, you can stay here with me." 

Though it did sound enticing, she wasn't sure if it would be the best decision. "Um, that does sound nice, but I don't even know your name" A soft smile came off on her lips, in her mind she thought this was alright, that she could be nice to this strange man just for the train ride. It was better than being with Father Foley. 

"Ahh, you're right. Allow me to introduce myself then. I'm Mark." He gave his hand out for her to shake. Although he did touch her earlier, she wasn't sure if to shake his hand, but it would be rude of her not to. She made contact with his large hand, giving a firm shake. "Hello, I'm Tabitha" She then took a seat right across from him, hoping that they would have a good conversation. 

He crossed his jeans cover legs over another. Long fingers went under his chin. Tabitha looked at his quarter zip-up olive green sweater, finding it odd that he would wear that in the summertime. "Are you by chance cold?" He looked confused for a moment, before looking at his attire, another smile came to the surface, "No, I just tend to dress comfortably when traveling." She nodded, understanding what he was saying. "You're right. I try to dress for comfort when traveling also." 

"You travel?" He sounded as though that was hard to believe.

"Yes, often for someone my age, at least."

"What is your age, if you don't mind me asking." A small smile came on her face as she pronounced, "I'll be 16 in a couple of days." For some reason, she felt like an adult saying she'll be 16. Maybe it was the whole sweet sixteen things. Anyway, she was a lot more mature than most 16-year-olds, so it was probably right for her to think that way.

"Wow. And you travel so often by yourself?"

"Only when traveling to Ireland to visit my grandmother. My parents could only afford to send me." 

"Ahh, well, I like to travel a bit myself. I just came out of the army in Korea, so I wanted to visit some parts before settling down again."

Her ears perked up, hearing he was in the army. She found that so honorable and courageous. "So, you're a soldier?"

"Well, not exactly. In Korea, all men are required to do two years of service, at least before they get married. Although I'm not getting married any time soon, I felt like enough time passed by, and I needed to do it. I was a Sergeant when I was there." There was a hazy smile on the young girl's face, finding this man more intriguing by the minute.

"If you're not a soldier, what do you do then?" He gave a small smile before looking out the window. "I'm an architect in England. I grew up there, in England, but thought it was still my duty to serve my parent's homeland."

"Oh, so you're off to England too then?"

"No, not yet. I'll be heading to France to spend a few more days of freedom before going back to civilian life. I suppose then you're going to England?" Tabitha nodded fervently, feeling excited about her destination once more. " Only for a few days."

Now it was his turn to be interested, "What would you do there?"

The young girl felt her face turn red a little, feeling embarrassed telling him her real intentions, but it wasn't like she'd see him again. "I'm going to the Spice Girls concert."

"That sounds good, they make pretty good music." Tabitha looked up at Mark, surprised that he agreed with her. As far as she knew, it was mostly teenage girls who were fans of them. "Yea, I do like their music a bit. Thank God I was able to save up enough."

He gave a small chuckle, "You think God had something to do with that."

"Of course, if it wasn't meant to happen, He wouldn't have allowed it." Mark gave a skeptical look towards her notion.

"If things happen in that respect, no one would live a hard life." Tabitha shook her head, "I have to disagree" He then gave a ghost of a smirk towards the young girl, "Please explain to me this concept then."

There was a small frown on her face hearing his tone, "Alright, I will." There was nothing she liked more than a challenge.

"In the Bible, there is a man named Job, who was considered God's most loyal servant. Job had everything; a wife and children, herds, and a good lifestyle. He would go and worship God every day. One day, Satan went to God saying that Job only worshiped Him because of all the good things he was rewarded, and if God had taken it away, Job would abandon him. So God agreed to take everything from Job to prove the devil wrong. 

In an instant, Job lost everything, his family, cattle, land. Save a few of his workers who told him of the bad news, Job had nothing left. That didn't stop Job, he still worshiped God. Even when he was sick to the brink of death and his friends spoke evil of God, Job refused to do so. He understood that this was happening to him for a reason, that he may have done something wrong.

In the end, Job remained a faithful servant to God, and as a reward, God provided Job with his restored goodness, a new family twice as big, and everything he had lost. The main point of the story is that God does allow the good to suffer, to which, as humans, we would not understand why. But, after the storm, good things would come to us if we still stay faithful to Him."

The young girl let out a breath after that, thanking God that she listened to her mother well. 

The stranger, Mark, looked at her, curiously peeking through his umber eyes, "So what you're trying to say is that God, as you put it, allows things to happen to people just because?" 

"Well, I guess that could be a way to put it. I've learned in my meager years of living that everything happens for a reason, something I may never understand until it is eventually revealed to me if it is." She wished someone could hear her now, someone who would understand. 

"Even the bad things?" Tabitha nodded her head, "Yes, even bad things. We all have our paths in life we all take. Even when facing similar situations, people take different routes to mend it." 

Mark was silent, not sure of what to make of the girl's words. He remembered at a young age, his family was always religious, but as he had grown older, he chose not to follow it. Looking at this girl, he wasn't sure of what to think. She was so young but managed to make more sense out of life than half the adults he knew. 

A smile emerged on his face, "So, what then would you say this encounter would bring to either of our lives?"

It took her a moment, but the young girl simply shrugged, "I suppose just two strangers, sharing some tidbits. Sometimes you meet strangers for a few moments, but you can change one another's lives forever. Maybe that happened, maybe not." 

"So, you're saying that we could meet again?" She nodded, "I suppose if it was meant to be, I don't see why not. People pass each other all the time without meaning to." 

For a moment, they were both silent. It wasn't an awkward silence between strangers, but something comfortable, as if they knew one another for some time. They then spoke again, this time about his work as an architect, then about his time working in the army. He was the head of the air force for some time, a demanding job. Moving up the ranks quickly lead to a good word from many, allowing him an honorable discharge along with some medals. 

Their conversation moved into movies, to which she talked about some various animations which were released. If one were to hear in on their conversation, they would find her a bit odd, not that she wouldn't blame them. 

For some reason, one she never understood, he was interested, listening to whatever she had to say and even stopping her to agree with her at some points. It surprised her, really, but she didn't want to mention it. 

As she was talking, she finally saw his eyes drift to something behind her. She got quiet, not sure of what was happening, and turned around. All she saw was a furious Father Foley who's eyes managed to turn almost black. He was angry with her. 

"Tabitha!" His Irish accent came out gruff, "I told you not to leave and look where I find you." 

Her snarky side decided to show rolling her eyes, "Yea, waiting four hours to find me showed how much you didn't want me to leave." The priest took a harsh grab of her arm, to which the young girl winced. He finally looked to the stranger in front of her, a young man, maybe around his age, handsome if he were honest. His eyes were odd, almost dead as if he was planning something. 

Stephen decided to pull her back to their seats, the young girl barely giving a goodbye to the man she'd just met. 

The stranger then looked at the two. There were many questions in his mind. For one, why was she traveling with the priest? Although he wasn't dressed as one, it was the way she addressed him and her attitude towards him. Maybe that's why she was in this car, to get away from him. 

Without trying to give it any more thought, Mark decided to go back to reading his book. There were only a few hours of sunlight left. 

~~~

Reaching back to their seats, Father Foley threw her into her part, the young girl wincing at the pain he gave her. 

She looked at him with angry eyes, only to find a look of equal annoyance in his. 

"Didn't I tell you not to go off" She rolled her eyes, "Yea, but what else was there to do?" 

"You could've been kidnapped. That man could've done something to you."

"Yes, I would've been kidnapped in front of so many people while screaming bloody murder. That guy wasn't going to do anything. We were just talking." 

Starting to take notice of people looking at them, Stephen spoke to her in a hushed but harsh tone. "You oblivious girl, men like him don't only want to talk to young girls like you!" 

"Yes, they're just like you. Eyeing young girls, waiting for the right time to attack. Maybe that's why you became a priest, to get an in and prey on girls like me, am I right?" His hands went into tight, painful fists. How dare she accuse him of such a disgusting thing? He would never do that to anyone, no matter how attracted he could be.

She watched his eyes grow darker. Tabitha would admit that maybe it wasn't the best thing to say to him. Maybe it was the fact other people were around that gave her bravery to make such an accusation against him.

"How. Dare.You." His voice was quiet but rough, dark. He wasn't having any of it. Stephen worked too hard over the years to let Tabitha ruin everything for him. It took all within him not to make a repeat of the previous summer fiasco. Instead, he let out a long, steamed breath, turning his head away from her before things escalated to another level. 

Tabitha also looked away, except in shame. So maybe she could be right about her insinuations about him, but this wasn't the time nor place. She understood that. 

Looking down and equally quiet, she whispered, "I'm sorry." 

He would've looked at her, but he didn't want her to see his pain. And it wasn't by the words she had said. 

It was that notion that she may have been right about him, even if he didn't want to believe it. 

~~~

For the rest of the time on the train, they were both silent, doing whatever they wanted to do. Not a word was spoken, by either Father Foley or Tabitha. When reaching out, they got their things and walked into the busy boardwalk. Some people needed to go places, having no time to stop for visitors to find their way. 

In the brashness of the pace, someone pushed young Tabitha into the solid frame of Father Foley. She had let out a small gasp at the interaction, but he held onto her shoulder so she wouldn't fall. She looked up at him. His eyes weren't as angry as before. 

She had straightened herself, holding onto her belongings firmly. 

They finally found a cab to take them to the hotel they booked. It was quaint, something good enough for people who couldn't afford much, but it wasn't a run-down motel with sketchy characters. As they were going to walk in, the priest stopped her. 

"From here, call me Stephen." Her eyebrows furrowed together, confused about his request. 

"The last thing I need is for anyone to say that a Catholic priest was seen alone with a young girl." She held the urge to roll her eyes at his snide comment, though he wasn't wrong. 

"Alright, Stephen." She stressed out his name a little, indicating her snarky understanding to him. 

They went to check-in, with Stephen doing the majority of the talking. She took notice of how he was able to get along well with others, despite being on the quiet side. A small joke passed between Stephen and the clerk, who seemed interested in him. Tabitha was spaced out for the most part until she heard, "...your two full bed suite will be room 250. Up the stairs to the far right." He thanked her before picking up his stuff and nodding with his head towards Tabitha, who finally took in that they would be sharing a room.

"W-we're sharing a room?" He turned to her and nodded, "Yes, it was affordable, and it's two separate beds."

As they were walking up the stairs, Tabitha was wondering what people were thinking. He looked like her elder brother or guardian in the beginning, but now, seeing that they're sharing a room, she wasn't so sure.

They entered the room. It was medium-sized, beds apart at an appropriate distance with a small desk in between them and a lamp on top.

At the end of the beds was a long desk with a mirror above it, a medium-sized television in the far corner of the room, and a mini-fridge to keep items cold.

Stephen chose his bed first, the furthermost from the door, so Tabitha had the advantage of being closer to the restroom. At first, she lunged in her bed backward, but then after laying down a few moments, she decided it was time to wash off the last 18 hours. 

Quietly, she took her necessities, a pair of pajamas, and a towel. "I'll head off first then." The bathroom door closed behind her.

Stephen didn't fully acknowledge her, busy getting all his stuff in order. As he sat at the end of his bed, he realized how close the beds were. A shot of anxiousness went through him, wondering if this may have been a bad idea after all.

He was still upset at Tabitha for what she had insinuated about his intentions, but the more he pondered on it, the urge to do wrong also came about. He saw when she laid down earlier how her skirt raised higher, and his eyes drifted to see what was hidden. 

He was beyond ashamed for that, asking God for forgiveness. Stephen willfully put himself in this position, so now, for the next 36 hours, he will have to fight it. 

He hoped he was strong enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I did bring in a new character; what do you think of Mark? What do you think his purpose will be in the story? So tensions between Stephen and Tabitha are more intense, which can only mean bad things; what do you think could happen between them during their time together?  
> Till next time <3


	5. I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Tabitha gets to celebrate her 16th birthday in style. 
> 
> If only Stephen wasn't there to ruin it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, ya filthy animals!

16, end of June

The first evening they spent was quiet, unpacking, and tuckered out from being cramped in the train majority of the day. Tabitha had noticed a small television in the room that she decided to watch until she had fallen asleep. She put on her sleep shirt and pants. It was baggy, loose-fitting, and comfy. She was glad for the choice she made, even if she had her room.

She focused on the telly as she heard movements from the bathroom. She felt the butterflies in her stomach as her countdown was starting to come to a close; it would be less than a day left until her wish would come true, seeing her favorite girl band.

On her bed, there were a couple of things arrayed in no particular order, her sketchbook, a tourist book of London of sites to visit, and her stuffed animal. For her sketchbook, she always tried to draw something every night. It was a productive way to calm her down from the events of the day, and she was usually happy with her work. For the sightseeing, she wanted to look at more than just the concert. For all she knew, this would be the only time she would be in London in her lifetime; she hoped not, but there wasn't any way for her to know. There would be a high probability that Father Foley, oh wait- Stephen now, would want to join her since he wouldn't want a repeat of the train ride earlier. She rolled her eyes at the thought. It wasn't fair that she had to spend time with a man she didn't even like.

The things Tabitha did to have fun. 

Tabitha hugged her stuffed bear that she had a bad habit of sleeping with every night. It was either that or hugging a pillow; she was the hugging type, like her father. The difference was that she wouldn't just hug anyone or anything. Her parents taught her about boundaries. 

It was something she practiced in her everyday life, particularly with strangers. She remembered meeting a 'friend' of her father once. He was some businessman her father would talk to while he would tend to the company plants of where the guy would work. He was pleasant and all, but when it came time for it, and he tried to hug her, she dodged it and gave him a handshake instead. She didn't suspect anything terrible of him, but still, hugging a grown man who wasn't her father, or anyone she was remotely familiar with, was not an option. 

She heard the bathroom door open, watching with wary eyes as he got out, fully clothed and a towel around his neck, probably to dry off his hair. There was a weird feeling in her stomach, and it wasn't the butterflies from before. 

Internally, she shook her head.  _ Tabitha, stop worrying for once! He won't do anything to you, your grandmother trusts him. Surely someone who she trusts is good, right? _

She stayed on her stomach, legs up in the air, and ankles crossed together. The news brought about a report of a recall of some food product. Maybe she should listen and know what she should look out for. 

~~~

Stephen stayed in the bathroom for as long as he could. The longer he was in there, the clearer the realization that maybe it wasn't a good idea to stay in the room with the young girl. Not only would people suspect something, but if anything were to happen, which he prayed didn't, who would he blame?

Well, he could always say that she did something, which wouldn't be a lie. For some reason, she had the habit of doing something that brought out the worse in him. Whether it was a snarky comment or a simple movement Tabitha made his blood boil, and not only with anger. But why was he angry? Yes, there were things she would say, but nothing too volatile, except for the comment on the train earlier. 

Stephen looked at himself in the mirror. His dark eyes clouded with emotion. He was counting down the time till he was going to be on his own again. Hopefully, then he would not worry about anything happening that shouldn't. He saw the clothes she changed into after her time in the bathroom. It was a reminder of the events from last summer. 

Did she not realize how she looked in that? Even as a teen, when watching movies, Stephen thought that women in a man's shirt were one of the sexiest sights. 

Woman.

Was that what Tabitha was now? 

She was not yet sixteen, but he knew in one form or another, she was a woman. If they were living a hundred years before, she would have been married off to someone by now forced to have children. That would've been a mundane life, he supposed. She was budding into womanhood. Well, she did more than just bud. 

Stephen noticed the softness of her movements, the way her body moved. No sixteen year old should move in that manner. 

He met a lot of girls, even as a priest. None would go about that way in front of him.

Maybe it was because he was a priest, and they revered him. Most girls understood the boundaries that were made. He couldn't blame Tabitha for the lack of boundaries, though. They both were in an unusual predicament since they first met. 

He wasn't her priest. She wasn't his pupil. 

He thought about that very hard, how different they were. Tabitha had no actual reason to respect him as the people of his town other than as a friend of her grandmother. She didn't have to answer to him unless in his care, like now. 

He knew that Sonya left her in his care. Stephen can't mess that up. He valued Sonya too much to allow that to happen. After some time, he finally decided to go back to the reality he was in. 

He knew how dangerous he made things for himself. He walked out, wearing a white t-shirt and pajama pants, his towel around his neck. He watched the young girl on her designated bed. He watched as her pink, oversized shirt fell off her shoulder. She looked at a book before paying attention to the telly in front of her.

His eyes drifted to her belongings; his breathing stopped a little seeing her arms around the stuffed animal. He would never expect someone so old to have one, but he couldn't judge her for it. The image just reminded him of just how much of a child she still is, not the growing adult like his mind and body wanted to believe.

"Can we go out tomorrow?" Stephen blinked a little before registering what she was asking him. "What?" 

The young girl sat up, adjusting her shirt, picking up a thick tourist book. "Well, we'll have all day before the concert. Maybe we could go around and take pictures and visit? I know my grandmother would want to see some stuff." 

Hearing about Sonya made him feel more guilty, but none the less he nodded. "I suppose going out tomorrow wouldn't hurt. Just don't run all over the place. We're strangers here. Nobody knows us or our story. If either of us gets lost, no one can help." 

A chill went down Tabitha's spine, hearing his words. Not because it wasn't true but because it reminded her that if something were to happen, no one would save her.

She nodded, looking back at the screen in front of her. The weather report was saying it would be a good day tomorrow, perfect. 

Tomorrow will be perfect for her. 

~~~

The next day started bright, at least when Stephen opened the curtains to let the light through. He looked outside to see the tall buildings blocking the sunlight from coming through his window.

Even in his childhood home, he became used to waking up to something more than what was seen today. It was seven in the morning. The streets below him were starting to slowly but surely get packed. He turned to the room, watching the soft movement of the breathing of Tabitha. He would wake her up, but he was sure that his face was not what she wanted to see as the first thing on her birthday. 

He took a moment to reminisce about his sixteenth birthday. His parents threw him a big party with family and school friends he could've cared less about. Father wanted him to get a foot into the business, so he bought him a pair of gold cufflinks to wear, which he sometimes does for Easter Sunday and Midnight Mass for Christmas.

Stephen's mother, on the opposite end, wanted him to go on a date with one of her friend's daughter. Sure, she was pretty, but he wasn't interested, at least not in the way his mother wanted him to be. It made his mind drift off into another realm, wondering things about the young girl sleeping before him. 

His body ended up closer to hers, a massive shadow covering her from the light. Her lips were slightly ajar, lips starting to chap a bit. He allowed his fingers to lightly ghost above the shape of her lips, remembering his first kiss. It was to that girl his mother pushed on him. 

That was all he wanted to know; how a kiss would feel like. 

It was alright, but not what he expected. The kiss was short but not sweet. The girl's lips were on the thin side, unlike Tabitha's. Just like him, the girl was inexperienced. 

He wondered if Tabitha was experienced in kissing boys. 

With that thought in mind, he cursed himself in his head.  _ Why would you think that? She is just a child.  _

_ No, she isn't. _

His eyes were wide, hearing another part of himself speak. It was a scary part because he never knew what his mind was capable of, especially a thought like that. He was a good person. Stephen showed that to himself over the years being a priest. He wasn't that person, the despicable man who wanted a beautiful girl all to himself. 

At least he convinced himself that from a young age, he wasn't like his father. 

His father, although loyal to his mother for all the years they've been together, had some questioning views about women. 

There was an age difference between the two, and when Stephen was old enough to rationalize in his brain, he realized his mother was young when his father married her. Now his mother was not a weak woman, although she did ultimately listen to his father's last day. He would take notice of her stressed face if certain tasks were left undone before his father had gotten home. He took notice of the raised voices behind closed doors or the sounds of deafening silence until his mother cried. Did he hit her? Stephen didn't suspect so, but he knew deep down how it affected his view of women. 

That was why he probably kept away from most of them. Sonya reminded him of the strong woman he wishes he had in his childhood. Maybe he wouldn't be scared of himself. He wouldn't have to confine himself this way, to the point of cornering himself away from all women to the brink of constant temptation from one girl. 

He clenched his fists roughly a few times. He could feel it coming out, that part of him he kept hidden all of his life. It wasn't something he wanted to come through. It would ruin everything. All the power and reverence that he could get from all being a priest, a bishop, even a cardinal. It was worth so much more than anything one person could give him. Why have one person all to yourself when the world could fall at your feet?

Well, he isn't Jesus, not that Stephen would ever claim to be, but he knew the power of the Catholic church on their congregation, how they love their priests, and would listen to their words. 

Maybe that's all he wanted, something that would give him that power his father has, just not in the same heinous way. 

He looked down from his tortured debate in his mind. 

She was awake.

~~~

By nine, they were both out the door, Tabitha with her backpack and camera at hand, Stephen with hands in his pockets. 

The young girl made sure she had everything, not coming back to the hotel until the concert would be over later that day. Everything was in her bag, the tickets, water, her wallet. There was even a change of shoes. 

She turned to the tall man beside her, not used to the attire he wore, a plain grey shirt and fitted jeans over some boots. Tabitha never thought there would be a day that he would wear something normal, although it wasn't as if she saw him all the time.

She, on the other hand, looked as if she was heading to some club if she was old enough. Following her favorite spice, she wore her version of a little black dress. It wasn't tight but form-fitting. She wore a green short-sleeved shirt underneath, giving some sense of modesty. It zipped in the middle and ended right below her knees. 

Maybe it wasn't the best outfit for a sixteen-year-old, but she didn't care. She was celebrating. Although she didn't want to, she thought about what others would think of the pair walking together. Stephen wore sunglasses covering his eyes. Tabitha looked down at her heels, making sure she didn't twist her ankle. She wasn't used to being so tall. Her parents hated her to wear heels, saying that she was too young for them. 

Tabitha was so focused on watching the floor she nearly walked into the busy street of cars until she felt an arm grab for her. The same arm that would usually forcibly grab her when she caused trouble.

Without any time to think, she gasped when her back hit a firm chest, and she knew who it was. 

"Watch where you're walking, not the floor." She gave a mere nod, not wanting to talk to him. She knew that she couldn't leave him, but her verbal communication would be minimal if she could control it. 

He didn't let go of her arm. Instead, he held onto her as they walked through the busy streets. 

"You know you don't have to do that." He wasn't looking at her, but he answered, "Yes, I do. I don't need you to get lost." She sighed, knowing it would be a losing battle. 

They looked for a bus. The first stop was Buckingham Palace.

~~~

Surprisingly, Tabitha found the majority of the day with Stephen enjoyable. That may be due to not having to talk with him. 

Each place they went to, she took pictures. It wasn't just for her or Grandma Sonya, but her parents. Knowing their situation, she knew they would be living through her. At least, until their greed cards were finalized. She only wanted them to see that she was happy since they sacrificed so much already. 

After taking several pictures of the place, she was able to get Stephen to take some of her. It was awkward at first, seeing that she would pose herself and he would have to take it, but then she remembered she was doing this for her, not him. 

She allowed her quirky side to show, posing with the soldiers in a stoic pose then with some funny faces. Likewise, when they passed Big Ben, she made her hand as if she was holding it. Did it matter if Stephen judged? Nah, since that was all he did anyway. 

It turned awkward again, though, when by Kensington Palace, a worker offered to take a pic of both of them. 

"Your boyfriend's mighty nice for taking all these memories for you, but you should include him too." She wasn't sure of how the priest took it, but they nonetheless posed together, standing near one another. 

"Oh! Come on, don't be shy. You'll look back on this and wonder why you both look so awkward." 

She wondered why Stephen had yet to interject that they weren't a couple. 

Stephen was happy for his sunglasses, unsure how it would be if Tabitha could see the look in his eyes. He wasn't too sure what to do. They weren't a couple, but he felt at that moment, what if? What if, beyond everything they were. His subconscious was kicking him harshly for not doing the right thing. He thought of all the pros though, Sonya would believe that they both were on good terms, he would show a more humane side to Tabitha, and this could be a memory, a way to remember the one.

With the stranger's second comment, he pulled Tabitha in closer. He was now behind her as his arm held her shoulders. It looked as though they were a couple. 

He never touched a female like that before, but it wasn't odd to him. 

Tabitha was perplexed about what to do. She never expected Stephen to touch her that way, not after last time. He seemed mostly disdained with her, with his touch usually being a reminder of negative reinforcement. Her hands reached up to his arm that surrounded her, wanting to pull it away. This was crossing the boundaries now, way too far. 

It was too late though, the man counted, and all she could do was smile. It was barely a second, but it felt like forever. 

She couldn't have moved out of his grip fast enough. Grabbing the camera from the stranger, she thanked him with clenched teeth before quickly moving forward to venture around the palace. 

Stephen moved to follow her, but the man stopped him once again. 

"She's a beaut, don't lose her." He wasn't sure of how to respond to that statement. It was degrading to her, saying that she could be owned just by her looks, but for him, it was gold. It was almost confirmation of what he wanted to hear since he first saw her that day in her grandmother's shop. 

Tabitha was something he had to have.

~~~

Before parting ways by the concert venue, they had lunch. Tabitha was quite tired walking about all day, and the heels didn't help. She looked down at her feet, groaning, knowing the blisters that were forming. For the moment, she changed into the flats that she brought in her bag. 

It felt nice to be small again. 

They ate at a small cafe, watching another tourist come and go. Stephen decided to discuss with her the details of the concert. What would happen for the duration, and what time she needed to reach back to the hotel. 

"I'll be waiting in the lobby if you don't come in time, and I will be questioning you as to why you were late." 

She rolled her eyes. Maybe it was for her safety, but, damn, it was controlling. She expected this from her parents, not a friend of her grandmother's. 

"Sure, and I'll give you details of what happened at the concert. You know, I still have that extra ticket if you want to come and make sure I 'behave myself' " A small laugh escaped Tabitha's lips, making physical quotations with the behave myself part. 

She didn't realize what that did to Stephen. "No, I'm not interested in listening to the devil's music. Just make sure to come back on time, alright?" Taking a bite of her lunch, she nodded, knowing that she wasn't going to do anything wrong. 

~~~

The concert was the best thing ever. Tabitha couldn't believe that she saw the Spice Girls live. 

She watched them for two hours, amidst thousands of other fans, live performing their songs. Tabitha, being the quiet person she was, didn't scream and rave like others. She simply listened and watched the performances.

Although it slightly annoyed her seeing how loud others were being, dancing all about, it didn't take the experience away from her. It would've made it better, though, if she could have met Victoria in person. 

That was for another time. When it was all over, Tabitha walked out calmly, humming the music she heard playing not too long ago. She bought herself a t-shirt, stuffing it in her backpack as she left the venue. It was empty since most people were still in the building, other than one person, a shadow by the lamppost. 

She found it odd but didn't walk up. They could've done something to her. 

The person walked up to her, though. A smile formed, seeing a somewhat familiar face. 

"Mark? I...I thought you were heading further south?" The man smiled, his bag over a shoulder. He was wearing a new set of clothes., a leather jacket over a shirt and jeans. 

"I was. But I couldn't forget the girl I met on the train. She was too good to be true in a sense, and I wanted to test something out." 

A smile still on her face, she decided to play into his game a little, "Test what?"

"Well, the girl told me that God always has a will for us, whether we think it's best for us or not. I couldn't forget the girl, so when I had gotten off the train, I decided to put that theory she told me about to the test. I said, 'God if I'm to meet this girl again, let me get a ticket back to London within the evening. If not, I'll pretend as if I never met her.' Well, I went to the ticket master, and the rest is history." 

It could've been corny, but Tabitha didn't think of it that way. It was odd, seeing that she just turned sixteen and he was older, but she took it positively. Someone was interested in her, and not in a sinister way, she supposed. Right? 

"So, you have any plans after the concert ?" At that moment, she had forgotten about what she told Stephen. Well, she forgot about Stephen altogether. Mark was in front of her, and she rather talk with him anyway. 

"No, let's go, shall we?" 

~~~

Stephen looked at the clock, 10:45. That concert was over half an hour ago. It didn't take long to walk back. Maybe he should've waited for her outside the venue. It was lonely out there. 

He paced around the room for some time, saying maybe she was still there at the concert, that it was running late, but who was he kidding? 

He then went down to the lobby, heading to the front desk. "Good evening" It was a young girl who gave a polite smile. 

"The girl who I am staying with..."

"You're girlfriend?" His mouth closed. If he said anything else, it would be suspicious. 

"Yes, her. Well, she went out earlier and was supposed to be back some time ago. I suspect that she'll be coming in soon. Would you ring me when she comes in?" The girl smiled at him, "Of course. It's nice to see a guy concerned about his girlfriend. For some time, I thought chivalry was dead." 

He stormed back to the room, fuming as to why she wasn't coming back yet. Stephen sat in the corner, considering to call Sonya and let her know, but then it would also look bad on him. Why didn't he just go with her? 

~~~

Tabitha, on the other hand, was in bliss with her time with Mark. They sat down in a diner and had something light. She didn't realize how much time had passed, just that it was a great birthday so far. 

If she had a choice, she would just stay with him, instead of Stephen. Although Mark was a stranger, the feeling he gave her was freeing. Their discussions of religion, movies, even food had continued as the last time. He even told her some stories from his time in the army. In America, she always admired the army. So, hearing about it didn't bother her one bit. 

By the time they decided to leave, it was 11:20. Tabitha was supposed to be back over an hour before. She would've panicked, but she didn't want to alarm Mark. Instead, he let her used his jacket when he noticed her shivering from the now cooler air. 

When they both finally reached the hotel, their laughter filled the air. Brown eyes looked up and saw a girl behind the desk, whose eyes were judgemental towards her, but she didn't know why. Ignoring her for one more moment, Tabitha took off the jacket to give back to Mark, but he didn't take it. "Keep it, my way of promising that we'll meet again. Maybe when you're older, maybe when it's God's time for us, if it's in His plans anyway." She smiled at the sentiment, deciding to give him a small hug, even a kiss on the cheek. Her brain nagged her of the hypocrisy against what she would do to Stephen, but she convinced herself that it was different, that Stephen was a priest and more boundaries needed to be placed. 

"Goodnight, Mark. To see you in the future." He smiled at her once more before taking his leave.

Tabitha sighed, but it was a content sigh. This was the best day of her life so far, and she hoped to remember it for some time. 

Taking her to leave to the room, the girl behind to desk stopped her, "Excuse me, ma'am?" Tabitha looked at her with expectant eyes. 

"Y-Your boyfriend came down here some time ago saying he was looking for you." She wanted to tell her that Stephen wasn't her boyfriend, but then the situation would be odd. How do you tell a stranger that you're sharing a room with a priest? 

"Oh, well, I'm here now, so I'll just head up. Have a goodnight." She smiled at the girl before heading up. What she didn't know was that the girl made the call to him. 

"Hello? Mr.Foley? Yes, Your girlfriend just arrived. She...she had company. Yes, it was a male. Um, tall Asian? She did call him by name, Mark, I believe...Well, they were laughing, so I suppose they were together. Alright, have a good night." 

Getting off the phone, the unsuspecting girl didn't know what to think. Well, not knowing anything about the situation, she thought Tabitha was a cheating whore who didn't deserve a guy like Stephen. 

If only she knew the truth. 

~~~

When Tabitha reached the room, she was still smiling, not knowing what lurked behind the door. 

Using the key she had, she opened the door to darkness. Maybe, Stephen had fallen asleep. Without thought, she had turned on the light, walking straight to her bed, and put down her stuff with Mark's jacket. 

She sat on the bed, wanting nothing more than to take off the high heels that cramped her feet all day. 

"So, was it fun?" She looked up, finally taking notice of Stephen on the chair in that corner. She would've been surprised, but she didn't show it. Instead, she thought it would be better to be nice to him. 

"Yep, it was the best thing ever! I can't believe that I got to see them live, the Spice Girls. They were so much cooler performing on stage than on the telly. Man, I wish I could've brought a friend with me. I mean, they even had an encore and everything." 

She had gone on and on about the damn concert, but in Stephen's mind, he was brewing about the fact that she somehow ended up with that man. How is it that a stranger was able to find her, and she wasn't worried about it? Instead, she hangs out with him at night. 

She came back happy. 

What exactly happened in the hour she was missing? His mind was going wild and then seeing her face when she entered the room. 

She looked happy, but there was something different about her. She looked, she looked like a woman. 

"What happened after the concert?" She stopped talking then, realizing why he was looking like that, angry. She sighed but decided to tell him the truth. "Well, I was planning on coming straight back here, but I ended up meeting Mark, you know the guy from the train, and we had something to eat." 

"What did you guys do?" 

"I-I just told you, we had something to eat." Her heart started to beat a little faster. Something wasn't right. Her parents would always warn her about this, about being in a compromising position with a guy. Sensing that she was in a tough spot, she decided to get up; maybe it would be best if she was in the bathroom, locked. 

Stephen followed suit, also standing up, but he was quicker. He walked closer to her, cornering her. 

"No, it was more than that, wasn't it?" His hands started to move, coming to her face. She had on lipstick, a dark red color. Did she want to be a woman so badly? Fine, he would show her how it would be like. 

He warned her before about girls wanting to grow up too fast. 

Stephen rubbed her lipstick off her lips, smudging it onto her face, "You think that makes you look nice? You look like a whore, wanting attention from all sorts of men." 

Tabitha would've been hurt by that statement, but it was a common notion made about her. Her parents would say she laughs like a 'jammath'. It was a Caribbean term for a whore, and they said it whenever she laughed too loud. Well, it made her watch how she laughed in public. But deep down, she knew even that wasn't right. She was a good kid. All she wanted was to have fun. 

Her hands flew up to his arm that was holding her down by her throat. "S-Stephen, please, let go." 

It was as if he didn't hear her, instead of continuing with his attack. "Dressing up like this, you know what it does to men? Showing off your body in that manner, do you not know how your body shapes? I see men stare at you from all places, and it's as if you don't care. No, maybe you like it, right?" His free hand moved down to the bottom of her dress. 

Tabitha started to kick and move, not wanting him to touch her. He already crossed boundaries once today, and that was enough. She started to wriggle against him, trying to move out of his grip. 

"Stop, please!" Now, tears were flowing. She knew what was happening. 

"Little girls shouldn't try to play dress up." Stephen pushed her onto the bed, and she tried to kick him higher. Tabitha took self-defense. She should be able to get away from him. 

"S-Stephen, please don't hurt me." It came off as a whispered plead for her life. Just as it seemed like she gave up, she held onto his wrist and did as she remembered, except that he was stronger. She managed to kick him as he forced her to lie down, running to the bathroom. 

She thought it would be over, but he grabbed her, pulling her from behind with a grip on her waist and mouth. She tried to bite him as another attempt to get away, but he was faster. 

It all becomes a blur, she can only see him attacking her, and she was trying to beg him to stop. 

He unzips her dress, roughly tearing the clothes underneath. 

Everything else becomes a daze. Tabitha only knew one thing. She was right about Stephen Foley all along. 

She remembered being younger people would say that when you turn sixteen, you become a woman. Tabitha remembered her mother telling her that at sixteen, she left Trinidad on her own and went to Canada, starting her life there without her family. 

She supposed now she was a woman, but she didn't want to be. 

She hated the fact that she was right all along. She was hoping that she was paranoid, that it was just her mother's warnings about men that made her go mad. 

Tabitha felt the pain, and she knew it wasn't supposed to hurt that bad. She screamed from the piercing inside her, a hot knife making its way through. 

Her parents always told her when she had gotten married, it would hurt, but it would be alright because her husband wouldn't do anything rough or harmful. 

She remembered her mother telling her that it was only supposed to happen when she got married, and when she agreed to it. 

His hands roamed her body roughly. Callous fingers abrasive on her soft skin. 

Her sobs begin to grow louder, her groans of 'no' get muddled in between. 

The priest's touches moved up to her chest, shivers going down her spine from his pawing her developed breasts. His movements were jerky but fast. 

Tabitha felt like she was mounted by a mad dog, going with fast motions to get his high over with. 

In reality, it wasn't long, but for her, it was an eternity. 

Her body jerked, feeling Stephen's release coating her insides. Out of instinct, his arms wrapped around her small waist, pulling them together as one. He hid face in her thick hair, legs shaky as he emptied himself. 

When it was finished, he moved. He was still fully clothed. Tabitha wasn't. He looked down at what he had done, not sure of anything anymore. 

What had happened? 

He remembered being angry with her, but what had happened? Did she say something to cause this? It had to be her fault. He wouldn't do anything to her without retaliation, right? 

No, Stephen did not just assault a young sixteen-year-old, right? 

He thought of how everything he worked for went down the drain. He thought of how his career disappeared. He thought of himself, not of the girl in front of him. 

She was the cause anyway. 

No, Stephen knew that wasn't true. He knew what he did. Stephen gave in to the temptation. He gave into his want of Tabitha Rampersaud. 

His eyes turned from cold to surprise, shocked. Tabitha's eyes were void of emotion, dazed. There was blood on the sheets. Her face was a mess. 

He went to the bathroom, grabbing a towel and wetting it a little. Going back to the young girl, Stephen lifts her head, wiping the makeup off. He looked down and noticed the bruises on her skin. Did he do that to her, those forming bruises on her once-perfect skin? 

She wasn't responding. Tabitha was conscious but not responding. He didn't know what to do. How does he rectify this? 

He only takes a shirt of his and puts it over her, at least giving her some covering. She was trembling in his arms, her shock finally taking hold. 

He leaves her there on the bed and heads back to the bathroom. 

He locks himself in there, not wanting to do anything stupid. Again. 

Stephen looked at himself in the mirror. There was disgust in his eyes, pain; he hit himself in the back of his head. 

But there was something else too. It was dark, sinister. Stephen didn't want to acknowledge it. 

He ruined it all, just for her. What was he going to do now? How can he go back to his religious duties? 

Stephen looked himself in the mirror. He can do this, he doesn't need to give up. As long as Tabitha doesn't tell, he wouldn't either. He just has to make sure that she doesn't do anything. 

For now, he'll stay in here, thinking about how to tackle this with God. 

Tabitha was in shock. How could this happen to her, with him? He ruined her. All that was her childhood was gone so quickly. 

What was she going to do? How would she tell her parents? 

She won't, right? She might get blamed if anything. That it was because of what she was wearing that caused it. Someone would say she's lying, that she wanted to cover up she had sex, which was far from the truth. 

Who would believe her, a young teenager, that a priest who was respected in his community, and respected by her grandmother, would harm her in such a way?

But this was all brewing in her sub-conscious. Her reality was just tears and fear. She was scared at any moment, Stephen would come out of the bathroom and attack her all over again. 

Maybe this was to teach her about her words. For what she had told Stephen on the train that day. Maybe, this was a lesson to her that she shouldn't try to mature faster than she needed to. 

Maybe this was God's way of teaching her a lesson, but what? 

What could this possibly teach her? 

Her brain was crying out to God, asking what she had done to deserve such a heinous act against her. She didn't know, but all she felt was fear. 

Today was supposed to be the best day of her life, not her worse nightmare. 

She doesn't know what's ahead of her now, but there is one thing for sure. 

Stephen will be connected to it. 


	6. Only the Good Die Young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A transition chapter of what's to be of Tabitha's life now. She returns to the old and welcomes the new.

17, end of June

  
It was a rainy day, gloom spreading onto all the passengers as they finally got off the plane. There was turbulence amid the flight. Many were left uneasy and found relief when finally reaching the ground. Tabitha didn't have the butterflies like before when stepping into the airport. 

This time, Tabitha came with large suitcases, there were two reasons for that. The first important reason was that her grandmother had taken a turn for the worse. Her parents decided that Tabitha would permanently live with her grandmother to help her out, they knew that Father Foley couldn't always help Sonya out. 

The young girl shook her head when her thoughts came across that priest. 

  
It was alright to say she still wasn't over what had happened that night a year before. She wished that her parents wouldn't bring up his name as if he was some angel sent for her grandmother because he wasn't. Stephen Foley was not a nice man, no matter the front he would put for others. 

  
Unlike the times before, Sonya was not able to come to greet Tabitha when entering the airport. The trip to the cottage was a bit lonely, not being able to feel the ease of poking her head out of the window and allow the breeze to dance through her hair. She called a taxi that would be able to take her and her belongings, speaking with the driver for a casual conversation. 

Tabitha's parents said that it was time for her to be an adult now. 

She was only turning seventeen. 

  
She still had one year of high school left. 

  
She only had her grandmother at this point. 

These thoughts kept her up at night for months on end. It terrified Tabitha realizing how fast she was forced to grow up due to her circumstances. 

Things had taken a turn for the worse for her parents. They were fighting the clock to make sure they would be able to get their green cards so they could see her grandmother before anything worse happens. With the amount of money they spent on lawyers and different applications, her parents thought it was best for Tabitha to stay with her grandmother permanently. They hoped that at least she wouldn't go through that stress with them. 

  
If they only knew her stress. 

She never really told her parents what had happened that night. Tabitha was afraid to know what would happen. They knew she was raped, but not by who. They were angry, not with her though. Despite the world thinking that women did have some fault in sexual assault, her parents knew it wasn't true. 

  
Tabitha's mother grew up in a hard life, with a mother with barely an education of a ten-year-old and an abusive father who drank all the money away. With her three siblings, Tabitha's mother saw how powerless women be without standing up for themselves, without the care and help of others. That's why she married Tabitha's father and left for America so that her children wouldn't have to live a horrible life, but she didn't even know what her daughter had gone through. 

  
Tabitha's father was a good man, a hardworking man. He was the youngest of seven children. Most of his siblings were sisters, and including his mother, he was trained by women. They lived a good life because his father worked for the airline in Trinidad. They were privileged to travel all over the world, so some could say he was a cultured man of some sort. 

  
That being said, her mother was always the smarter one. But none of that mattered. Their only daughter had gotten hurt, and they couldn't believe there was nothing they could do about it. Well, they could, if she had told them the truth. 

Thinking about her parents brought silent tears down Tabitha's cheeks, sorry that she never told them the truth in the beginning. Now, she was sent back to her tormentor, at his mercy for all he planned for her.

Why didn't she tell the truth? Was she afraid they wouldn't believe her? Maybe, but that wasn't the truth. She feared they would tell her grandmother, who wouldn't believe her, or them. Tabitha did not want to disappoint her grandmother, seeing her close relationship with Father Foley. Tabitha knew that revealing the truth would hurt Sonya deeply. 

So she had to suffer alone, for now. 

  
Her plan, for now, was to help her grandmother out and get more acquainted with the people of the town. If she was going to stay here permanently, she had to make some friends. She also needed to avoid certain people, but that may be impossible for the most part. Worry entered her brain, and before she realized it, the taxi had reached her grandmother's house. 

  
Her grandmother must've heard the sounds of the taxi opening and closing for the luggage, walking towards her granddaughter in short small steps. The sound of the cane reminded Tabitha of the reality she was going to live in now. The young girl looked towards her grandmother with a smile on her face. 

  
It wasn't raining anymore, but the clouds were still present, still dark. 

  
She walked up to the older woman, using one hand to hug her. 

  
"Tabitha! I'm so happy to see you again! Who's this little fella?" 

  
Tabitha looked down in her other hand. The baby she was holding onto was sleeping peacefully. The young woman smiled a little more before explaining, "This is Issac, my little brother. Mother thought it would be best if you see your youngest grandchild." 

  
Sonya's smile widens to show her teeth. She was going to hold one of her grandchildren in her arms before she died. God was good. This was her prayer, knowing that her time would be coming soon. She didn't know when, but she knew her time was coming to an end.  
Sonya touched the small child's soft hand, not wanting to wake him up.

"Issac, a fitting name for a baby." Tabitha agreed, knowing from the Bible that his name meant laughter, and he did. Issac was what helped her to become happy again.

Tabitha walked her grandmother back into the house before putting the sleeping child in her frail arms, taking time to bring in her belongings. She watched as her grandmother held the baby, joy on her face. Tabitha could only imagine the feeling Sonya felt, finally having family staying with her, for good. 

After bringing everything into the room she usually stayed in, she started to unpack, knowing when Issac woke up, which could be soon, everything needed to be in place. 

  
She took out the baby cot that took up the majority of the luggage space. It wasn't big, but enough for the baby to sleep safely. Tabitha knew overtime she would need to work to get a bigger one. Her father showed her how to make it before she left New York, so she made it within half an hour. Not bad for someone who wasn't used to tools. 

When Tabitha had gone back down, Issac was awake. She was worried that he would be crying seeing a stranger, but he wasn't. Just like his name, the baby only smiled and laughed. He would usually only cry if he was tired or hungry. People weren't a problem for him. It scared her a little because she wasn't sure if in the future it would mean he would be too trusting, but that would be in the future. Right now, she needed him to survive with her. 

  
Heading to the kitchen, she asked her grandmother if she wanted anything to eat. "No dear, I already ate. But I think he may want to eat soon. I hear noises." Tabitha turned to the pair, watching as the baby's face starts to transform slowly into displeasure. 

  
Tabitha ran to where she left her carry-on bag to get the last bottle of formula. She needed to make sure it was warm for him. Like her mother taught her, she put some water to boil and put the bottle in it to get warm. 

  
After some time, she took it out, putting some on her hand to make sure it was the right temperature, before taking it to her grandmother. 

  
She was so busy she didn't realize there was a guest over. Well, more of an unwanted familiarity to her. 

Father Foley sat down on a chair across from her grandmother, but there was no sound from him. He was still, probably looking at Issac with questions. 

  
Stephen looked at the child before him. He wasn't sure of what to think. Who was this child? How old was he? He heard footsteps and knew who it was, but who was this child? He felt panic starting to rise within him, the worse thoughts coming to mind, surely it can't be...right? 

  
He turned around, looking at the girl before him. She looked the same as the year before, except slightly more swelled in her chest. Her hair was in the same short style as before. Eyes a bit darker, tired, and gave him wary gaze. Tabitha's legs froze, seeing his stoic face. She wasn't sure of what to do, seeing him again for so long. 

  
It wasn't like she didn't see him last year, but it's been a while since then. 

  
The circumstances changed quite a bit.

"Tabitha! Just in time. Come, feed him before he cries. The poor thing must be so hungry." She finally broke her eyes away from his figure before heading straight to her grandmother, taking the baby in her arms. His small mouth became a pout, and his eyes started to form tears, but she gave him his bottle just in time. 

  
She held him perfectly, rocking him lightly as he fed on the formula. 

"How old is he?" She took in a breath, hearing the question. "Just turned four months." 

  
Relief washed over Father Foley hearing her soft response, knowing it meant that the child conceived in late April or early May of the last year. It wasn't his, which was a good thing. But then was it hers? 

"Tabitha's parents thought it would be nice for me to see my youngest grandchild. They haven't been doing too well, but I've already told you about that. Tabitha is responsible though so I'm not surprised they left him with her." The girl grimaced, hearing that he knew everything about her family troubles. She was never one to let anyone know, so hearing that Father Foley out of all people knew stung a little. 

  
Who knows what he would do because of that, maybe use it against her if anything. 

His mind wasn't on that, though. Brown eyes stared at the child. If what Sonya was told was the truth, then it was great of Tabitha to do, showing that she was becoming an adult in the right way. It meant that she couldn't go about anymore, showing herself the way she used to. 

She couldn't entice men the same way as before, he supposed. She just had to be focused on her brother, as she said, and everything would be fine. He hoped at least this meant she wouldn't cause him any more trouble. 

  
Although Sonya was speaking to him, ever so often, he looked at the young girl taking care of the baby. She was a natural, which he supposed was obvious since she was a woman. He was curious, how it would be having a baby in his life, but he had other things to worry about, like his parishioners and the church. 

  
He's supposed to move up within the next year. Stephen was finally going to be a Bishop. It made him ecstatic inside, thinking of how much power he would have, having others adhere to everything he had to say. 

When his dad heard the news, he scoffed, saying Stephen would have just as much power if he was the head of the company, but the priest disagreed. There was just something about the way people would listen to his words as gospel. It was good for his ego, he believed. Having others to listen to him in that way, well, all except the Protestants (not including Sonya) and Tabitha herself. They went out of their way to debunk the beliefs of Roman Catholics or scorn them. 

  
It was a silent war in the community, which was better? Who was right about the Bible? That's why Stephen was glad to have Sonya. She was willing to talk, not judge. 

  
Stephen didn't realize how fast the time flew until the small baby gave gurgling sounds. He was burped over Tabitha's shoulder. It wasn't long before he fell asleep. 

  
"I'll put him to down upstairs." 

Dark eyes watched as the young woman went up the stairs, she didn't wear skirts anymore, but jeans, long to cover her legs. 

  
That was good. Tabitha wasn't trying to entice anyone anymore. 

~~~

Days passed since Tabitha came back to town, and along with her responsibilities, she needed to ensure there was some income making its way through the household, however little it would be. To do that, she needed a job. 

  
She hoped that Sonya would open back the shop, but reality showed that it wasn't an option, so she had to look for a job. Tabitha felt that it would be unlikely, seeing that it was a close-knit area and everyone worked in groups of who were friends and family. 

She was the outcast. 

  
Father Foley would come around to see her grandmother, but Tabitha would avoid him consistently unless he was staying for dinner, like tonight. She never wanted to face him again, but it was inevitable. 

  
That wasn't her main focus for the moment. She just needed to make money for the summer. 

Walking around, Tabitha kept in mind that she didn't have too much time to look. Issac was asleep with her grandmother watching him, and if he woke up, her grandmother wouldn't be the quickest to aid the baby, though she did have lots of fun with him. 

  
That's what so great about grandchildren. They were there just to enjoy. 

Tabitha stopped in front of a shop that had a helped wanted to sign in front of it. She saw that shop before but never stepped foot into it. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but her grandmother would always warn her about the owner. 

  
"Now that, Tabitha, is a man you don't want to fraternize with." 

She would give her grandmother an odd look, but she would never explain why or what about him that was so bad. 

  
The didn't matter for the moment, though. Tabitha just needed to get a job. Without any further thoughts about her grandmother's warning, she walked into the quiet shop. It was dark, only the light from outside really showing the contents of the place. It seemed to be more of a hardware store than anything else, but there were other items as well, such as necessities, and the further she moved back, she saw a counter area. Behind the counter was situated like a pharmacy in New York. 

  
Interesting.

  
She stood there trying to figure out what exactly this place was, but to her, there was no real word. Maybe it was like a general store, a quick shop everyone can come to if they didn't want to head out of town too far. 

  
"Do you need anything?" 

  
She turned around, seeing the body to the voice. Her eyes widened a bit, realizing who it was, the man her grandmother told her about last year. 

  
She remembered seeing him once on her first visit. 

It was at night, and she had gone out to close up the bookshop for her grandmother. She saw a figure nearby, standing across the street looking in another direction. She never saw him before, but he wasn't looking at her either way. He was at an angle. It was windy that night, but nothing too strong, just enough for his hair to blow lightly. She remembered seeing smoke in the wind by him and saw his fag, as her grandmother would put it, in the moonlight. He looked as though he was thinking, hard. 

  
Seeing the man now, the intrigue came back to her.  
"I saw your help wanted sign in the front." His eyes were hard as if she had trespassed in his personal space. She felt small in his presence, but she was determined to get something done today. 

  
His eyes moved from her to the sign, remembering when he had put it up there. He was hoping for someone else to ask for the job, not some young girl.

He was thinking about someone older, just to watch the shop for a few hours every day. He went straight to the sign and pulled it down, "The position is closed." Her eyes widened, "But it's been here the whole time!" He let out a breath, running a hand through his short curls. 

  
"Look, it's closed. You're not who I need for the job."  
"What are the qualifications?" Damn, not even Tabitha would've thought that she would be this mouthy to a stranger.  
"How old are you?"

  
"Almost seventeen" A laugh escaped the man's lips, "too young" Her eyes narrowed at him, "How so? The minimum age for work is fifteen." 

  
"Alright, say you work here. You'll have to be here every day after your classes."

"That's fine."

"You'll have to work on weekends."

"Not a problem." 

  
"You'll have to work holidays also, practically no days off. You'll be paid minimum wage." Although she didn't realize it, her stance somehow became taller, as if she was up to take the challenge.  
"That's fine. I can do that." 

  
The shop owner watched the look in the young girl's eyes change. There was something about the way they lit up as he gave more demands like she was up to fight against him. 

  
He pondered about it for a moment, "Too bad. I'm still saying no." That was the end of the discussion. The man walked away from her, meaning it to be her cue to leave his shop. 

She stood there for some time. He didn't realize she was still there until some time later when he came to retrieve an item. He silently cursed seeing her, "I already told you no fifteen minutes ago. What are you still doing here?" 

"I can sue you for false advertisement and discrimination." 

  
His eyes seemed confused at first, then exasperated "What? How did I discriminate against you?"

  
She smiled at him, "Well, for the one you state age was a problem, and I'm more than sure that you don't need to have a degree to take care of a shop for a few hours. I can say you didn't hire me because I am a female or because of my race." 

  
By now, he held a large hand to his head, feeling a migraine emerging. Giving the girl another stern stare, he thought of how to reply. "Look, I am not a racist, nor do I care that you're a female. I just chose not to hire you because, quite frankly, I can. Now, I'll only say this one more time. Get. Out." This time he pointed to the door that Tabitha entered not even a half-hour before. 

  
He turned around again, hoping she was getting the picture. 

  
"Please, I need to have some money to help my grandmother. I have to take care of my younger brother too. I need some way to help provide for them." 

  
The man stood there for a moment, thinking for a bit. He knew who she was, maybe not her name, but he still knew of her. 

  
He knew better than to leave her there. 

  
Everyone knew of Sonya. She ended up becoming a staple to the community over the years, surprisingly for many people, including himself in the beginning. He remembers when he first met her ten years before when he was a teenager himself. She was always kind to him. He would often help her out in her shop when needed. She was the only one who supported his decision when it came to his job profession as a pharmacist years before. 

  
Now, they weren't on such good terms. The reason was something he didn't quite understand. He only remembered one day he came back, and she didn't want anything to do with him. 

  
He was abandoned by many people when he returned from uni. Sonya was not supposed to be one of them. The only thing he had was the shop his dad left, so he opened up a pharmacy along with the rest of the shop that was left. It did pretty well, so money was never an issue for him, but that wasn't what he cared about. 

  
He wanted someone to work with, even a friend. Not a young girl though. She may not understand anything. 

  
When he thought about Sonya's situation, he knew better than deny the young girl. Although they didn't talk anymore, they were neighbors, so he knew everything about Sonya still without her telling. 

He wouldn't lie by saying he didn't see the young girl from before. Were there any specific thoughts towards her? Not really, she was just another person who didn't talk to him unless there was something he could do for them? 

He turned to her, and the first thing he took notice of was the same desperate look he had given to her grandmother all those years before. The distant gaze of no hope. He wasn't going to let her suffer. He wasn't going to turn his back. 

  
"Fine, you can have the job."

Tabitha almost thought she didn't hear him say the words, "What?"

  
Giving her an annoyed look, he repeated, "I said, you have the job, alright? Come in first thing tomorrow at seven." 

  
Tabitha was so happy to hear that, so stubbornness did pay off. Without thinking, she rushed to shake his hand. That was all she could allow herself to do. "Thank you, thank you so much!" 

  
His eyes were a bit wary, but a small smile gave way, "Tell your grandmother, I said hello." 

He was going to walk away, but like last time she managed to stop him, "Wait, what's your name? I mean, how do I address you?" 

  
"My name's Phillip Brennan. You can call me Mr.Brennan." The young girl nodded, "I'm Tabitha, have a good evening!" Finally, she had left his shop, but he wasn't as upset anymore. 

  
She seemed to be the funny sort like she could make him laugh. 

  
He hoped he made the right choice.


	7. Edge of Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha starts school. 
> 
> Guess who's in charge?

17, end of August 

  
Adjusting to living with her grandmother was hard, permanently, and with new priorities. Like Brennan had promised, she worked hard every day. At first, Tabitha thought she was just going to watch the shop for a few hours as he had insinuated at their first meaning, but that was not the case.

Her duties were to keep inventory, clean the shop, assist customers, sometimes even helping to account for the balance books for him as he was pretty busy with the pharmacy part of the business. 

  
It seemed as though the people of Seahill was happy. They were glad to see Tabitha becoming a part of their community and helping out Brennan. Before, Phillip would always seem to be a mess, having a confused, stern stare wanting to make everything all right. Of course, the positives come to the criticisms. Many folks wondered why the young girl chose to spend more time at the shop than with her grandmother, who was stuck alone with young Issac. There were also talks about being alone with Brennan, mostly from older women. 

  
If they had only known how alone she was with the priest. 

  
Tabitha supposed that it was her favorite part of the job. She was able to avoid seeing Father Foley. Well, she manages to do that for the majority of the summer. 

  
When she first told her grandmother that she was going to work with Brennan, they argued. It took Tabitha by surprise, only having ever seen the kinder side of her grandmother. She screamed and nearly cussed, Tabitha almost physically pushing herself into a corner. She had heard about her grandmother's anger from her parents several times, as to warn her to be on her best behavior, but she never expected to face it, not for doing something good like getting a job. 

  
But it wasn't the job that brought on the fight, only the person she was working for. 

  
The only thing that made things worse was that Foley was right there, witness to it all. He probably relished every moment of Tabitha being humiliated in that fashion. 

  
Stephen did not enjoy seeing Tabitha being yelled at by Sonya, despite an odd fulfillment of her finally called out for doing something wrong. Disappointment surfaced hearing that she had gotten a job, perhaps her way of showing that she was moving into her new role as a caretaker. 

  
He thought that Tabitha should not have to take up a job to support her family. She should be taken care of, not the other way around. 

  
None the less, it was the fear in her eyes that changed things for him. That look reminded him of that night, guilt flowing over him. He did look back at the young child who ended up crying as the result of Sonya screaming. He was surprised she had spoken the way she did. It reminded him that even his beloved friend was not a perfect being. 

Although Stephen did not voice it, he had his doubts in the beginning about the baby, about whether Tabitha was lying or not. There was an odd familiarity about Issac, but he could not place his finger on it. The baby had a strong resemblance to Tabitha in many ways, which would be plausible if they are indeed siblings. 

  
He decided to stop wasting time thinking about that. Stephen's thoughts moved towards who Tabitha would be working along. Brennan was not seen as a good man by Sonya, so that meant he should not be near Tabitha. 

  
Well, Stephen should not be near Tabitha either, but there he was barely five feet away. 

Over that summer, he would go to the house more often. It was in hopes of seeing Tabitha. Stephen would not fool himself in saying his thoughts towards the young girl did not change. They did. Stephen did not know what had happened over the last two months, but he knew there was a desire to see her and be around her more. The priest knew that this new desire towards her maybe worse than how it was before. 

Stephen considered himself blessed when Tabitha was busy at the shop. Often, more times than not, he wanted to go into that shop and see her, maybe even talk with her. Deep down, the priest knew she would only run from his presence. He would always notice the look that she had just by seeing him, she was petrified, but she was never vocal. Whenever Sonya would make her stay around with him, her pretty, dark eyes remained to the floor. 

In the evenings, Stephen would sit in his living room, on his plush chair, thinking about Tabitha a bit more than he was willing to admit. He would close his eyes, thinking about her attire. 

She started to wear outfits that were considered more modest, long sleeves and jeans, sweaters even at times. Her hair started to grow longer, covering her face more. It was as if she wanted to disappear. 

  
The only time he ever saw her smile was when Issac was in the picture. Stephen also managed to ruin that sentiment. One day Sonya told her to give him to hold Issac, and the young girl was not for it. Tabitha held onto the baby tighter as if she was going to lose him. Sonya began to tell her granddaughter that it was silly to be so protective of her brother and that Stephen was safe. Stephen knew Tabitha thought he was not a safe person. After some deliberation and little choice, she had allowed him to hold the child. 

  
Stephen did not understand it, but there was an odd feeling having the small boy in his arms. It felt right, but he was not sure why. Even though his attention was on the baby, he did register the shaking of Tabitha's hands, trembling to see the baby coo in his arms. 

  
Since that day, Tabitha had gone out to avoid Stephen at all costs, even trying to keep Issac away from him whenever he visited. Sonya did not understand but reprimanded Tabitha about it. 

Stephen knew that things were different for all of them now, and that baby was the source of it. 

  
~~~

  
In her move from New York to Ireland, Tabitha thought the toughest thing would be transferring her grades. It was quite easy, to her surprise, and she was thankful to see that it would be a smooth transition. She was going to spend her last year there before she was to head off to college. There were many places in mind that she had thought of going to, Princeton, Harvard, NYU. They all did sound far-fetched for someone like her, a lower-class child born to immigrant parents, but there was still some hope for her. 

  
She was always on the top of her class, having a near-perfect grade point average. Not only that, but she also put herself in several extra-curricular activities, knowing that those colleges were also going to look into that. It was a lot to handle, especially during the obstacles of the previous year, but she refused to lose focus. There was too much at stake. Now, she was going to be in an all-girls Catholic school to finish up her time before college. Although she had to send in applications, this year was also important for the admissions offices of the colleges to watch, so she had to juggle everything, which now included a job and taking care of two individuals who were unable to take care of themselves. 

Tabitha did not want to go to a Catholic school at first, but her grandmother thought it would be best. Sonya believed that it was not too far from the house, and Tabitha was bright enough to get a scholarship, which would be good to write in her college applications. Tabitha agreed, taking this compromise. Without a doubt, they would be going to Mass and have religious classes, so there would be conflict, at least with the teachings.

  
  
The only positive was the uniform. Tabitha was glad she did not have to worry about what to wear as another task to add to her plate. 

  
She headed out early that day, making sure she gave a proper first impression. Classes would start at 7:45 am, she reached at 7 am. She left the formula and all the necessities that were needed for Issac at arms reach for her grandmother. Hopefully, she could come back to the house for a few moments until her shift started at Brennan’s store.

She had gone to the office of the school, wondering if the office had her information and her schedule. Tabitha did come the day before, hoping it would be available like all the other students, but unfortunately was not the case. The secretary told her that the headmaster had it and she would have to come in early for it today.   
It made her wonder who the headmaster could be. She had always heard rumors back home that in Catholic schools, the headmaster would be a priest or something, but Tabitha scoffed at the thought. There was no way that a priest would be the headmaster. Father Foley would be the headmaster then, but what qualifications did he have? He had no degree in education, so how can he be in charge in that way? Maybe Tabitha was thinking just too far ahead. She should not have such bleak imaginations. 

Tabitha waited outside the headmaster's office, her foot rapidly shaking as she felt her nerves getting to her. The ticking of the clock on the ceiling was a reminder of how long she was waiting there. By 7:15, on the dot, the secretary told her that she could go into the office, that the headmaster would be there shortly. 

She had walked into the office. The room was lit dimly, the sun shining through the blinds as it was coming up from sunrise. The office was neat. Files were in place, and the crosses appropriately placed on the right parts of the office. There was also a Bible in front of the nameplate of whoever this office belonged to, how ironic. She would move it, but she was scared to do so. The last thing she wanted was to get yelled at first thing entering the school. Tabitha thought it would be best if she took a seat. 

Her hands ran through her straight black hair, which had grown nearly mid-back now. She had a bad habit of biting her lip when nervous, not in a sexy way like the movies showed, but pulling her bottom lip and biting it till it was all dried and chapped. It was not cute, but sometimes she could not stop herself. It felt like an eternity, but finally, she heard the door open. Although the person was silent, she sat up straight, crossing her legs appropriately, and had her hands on her lap. Dark brown eyes cast down to her skirt. The reason unknown to her, but she did it anyway. 

Tabitha saw the shoes of the person walk around her to the desk. She heard the person take a seat and the clearing of his throat. 

"Good morning, Tabitha." 

  
Her fingers began to fidget, recognizing who it was. 

  
Wasn’t life funny?

  
~~~

  
Stephen was unsure how this would turn out, especially with how things were between him and the young girl. 

He would not lie. He told Sonya to allow her granddaughter to come to his school. He wanted a reason to see Tabitha again, and if it meant to confine her in these walls where he could watch her, then so be it. 

He had taken a look into her school records too, surprised with how good her grades were. He would not deny that he never thought of her as being the smartest person, but it was due to his prejudices against her. She could go places, but would she? Seeing the life she was living, it would be hard for her to juggle going to a decent college and take care of her family. 

He always thought that family should be the first priority for a woman, over herself at least. He watched her body seated in front of him, her eyes refusing to look up. Her defiance against him was gone, which he saw as a good thing.

But as always, she had the upper hand by not answering him. 

"Tabitha, when someone says good morning, you should respond."

Her coffee eyes glanced at him briefly before mumbling a response. It was better than nothing.

There was nothing but hate in her heart when looking at him, the pain still evident in the burning she felt with his gaze on her body. Her mother taught her that one should not hate. It was unChristian to hold unto such feelings. Deep down, she knew her mother was right. Tabitha did not want to forgive Foley yet. It was still all too fresh. 

"Alright. Well, here is the timetable of your classes every day. I know you might be against it, but you will have to attend Friday mass like everyone else, no questions asked. Also, wear your blazer. Modesty is of importance here, something I know you do not know much of." 

She knew he said that to get a rile out of her, but Tabitha was not going to give in. Twisting her mouth, she said thank you and got up to leave with her schedule at hand. 

"You are not dismissed yet, Miss Rampersaud." 

She froze, refusing to turn and see him. His tall body moved out of the chair, walking heavy steps towards her frozen form. Foley's body folded as he bent down towards her ear, whispering harshly, "Don’t forget, Tabitha, I call the shots here. My word is the law, so you will have to obey it too.“ 

She hoped the trembling in her fingers wasn’t showing too much. Tabitha wanted to cry so badly but knew she needed to stay strong.

  
  
She only wondered how things could turn so badly for her. As soon as she walked out into the hall, hands moved quickly, wiping the tears that threaten to fall out.

~~~

The good thing about having classes early in the day was also ending early, around 2 in the afternoon. As Tabitha was leaving, she saw Father Foley outside. He was probably looking at all the girls leaving, but he was also searching. 

He was looking for her. 

She tried her best to hide her face as she was going, knowing that she had to go home and take care of everything. 

Of course, the world never aligned in her favor. Tabitha felt a hand on her shoulder, and she turned around with fright in her eyes. 

"Wait here a few moments. I'll take you home."

"N-no, it's fine. I can walk. It's not too far away." 

"I promised your grandmother I'll take care of you. Stay here." There was no room for argument, and Tabitha was scared of what would happen if she disobeyed his words.

She knew that other students will wonder why they were together. Why would the headmaster offer her a ride home? All the faculty knew that Foley was her grandmother's friend, and found distaste in his show of favoritism. Fortunately, after meeting her and looking at her records, they could not deny her ability in academics. 

So, in other words, no one would question his intentions towards Tabitha. Like everyone else, they believed that Father Foley was that saintly man, helping out an elderly woman and her grandchildren. 

She took a step away from him but looked away from his direction. Her feet tapped on the grass as time went by, knowing that she would have to rush and do everything. 

Finally, the front of the school was empty. Father Foley had gone to get his car. She could go now, but would it make sense? His car would be faster than her unless Tabitha ran and found another way to get home. Shaking her head, she heard the engine of the familiar car, and thoughts of two years ago emerged into her mind. Though hesitant, she entered the car and sat as far as she could within the parameters given. 

For the most part, the drive was silent, as the majority of their positive interactions. Brown eyes looked out the window, hoping for the ride to get shorter. It would be fifteen minutes before they reach, although it would take Tabitha twenty walking alone. She was a fast walker, had to be when living in New York. 

  
"How are your classes?" 

She looked at the priest, wondering why he had to pry. Honestly, if he wanted to know, he could ask her teachers. "They're fine. It's just the first day, so nothing too special." 

She could feel his eyes on her, but she was watching her hands. 

  
Stephen bit his right index finger, looking at Tabitha's unwillingness to talk. He could understand that she was uncomfortable with him, but she had to grow up. Worse things happen to people all the time, and they still had to interact with them still was part of their lives. He switched hands as his now free hand went straight to touch her skirt covered thigh. He felt her become stiff, jerking to move away, but he held onto it firmly. 

  
"Tabitha, you have to talk to me." Her eyes looked at him with a change of emotions, "No, I don't. You are not my father. I don't have to do anything you say outside that building." 

Damn. Already her first day, and she was butting heads with Foley too quickly. 

  
Anger fueled his blood. Although there was other stress from the day built up, Tabitha did and said the littlest things to make it peak. He stopped the car abruptly. It was midway back to her grandmother's house. There was no one else around, just like before. 

  
He had gotten out from his side, slamming his door before walking around to her side. Tabitha wanted to jump, run for the hills, but she was frozen. Images of that night entered her mind. Her body became paralyzed under the reminder of what happened when he was upset with her. She felt like she was now in an out of body experience. He opened the door and grabbed her out of the car, pushing her roughly on it.

Stephen watched her with dark eyes, but his mind was screaming for him to stop. Do not make the mistake again, Stephen. His mind was saying the same mantra several times. His big hands went over her shoulders, holding them with a gentle touch. 

  
His hands began to brush over her hair, almost caressing her as a lover would. Pain filled her eyes, wanting nothing more than to be out of his reach. "Look, you need to remember this Tabitha. Other than your grandmother, I'm all you and your brother have. She needs me. Therefore, you need me too. If anything happens to her, then remember, I'll be the one who will take care of you. I will always be here to take care of you, alright?"

His hand held onto the side of her face, lifting it to look up at him. With the sun shining, half of his face was blocked with the blazing light. She could not decipher what his intentions were. If anything, Tabitha realized his eyes would always give him away. 

  
"My grandmother may need you, but I do not. I have a job, and whether you want to believe it or not, I will be heading back to New York for college. As I said, I do not have to listen to you, so let go of me."

  
This was her attempt at saving face, her way of showing that he was not going to control her like he did others. Tabitha took notice of how others would act around him, even ones who didn't want to do as he said. There was that look of fear from those like he had the power to take everything from them if they made the wrong move. There were looks of adoration from people like her grandmother, doing as he asked because of that odd charm he had shown everyone else. 

  
"No, Tabitha, you do. Don't forget. I have control of your future. It would be best not to displease me." His eyes moved down, to her lips, to her uniform. Finally, he let her go, expecting her to enter back into the car. 

  
But she ran, like always. A huff escaped his lips, seeing her body become smaller. He hated when she ran from him. Soon, she wouldn't be able to run anymore. 

  
At least not with what he planned. He knew that everything would be perfect if he timed it correctly. A mirthless laugh came out. 

Yes, he only needed to wait now. 

  
~~~

  
Tabitha ran back home, shaking from the fear more than the strain of running. She didn't want to think about the encounter she had with Father Foley, so she did her tasks as she needed, knowing that time was slim. Her grandmother asked what had happened to Stephen, as she would call him, but the young girl shrugged as she took care of Issac. The baby was happy to see her again. Now, at nearly seven months, he was starting to crawl. She wished she would have more time to spend with him, but that was out of her control. 

  
By the time 3 o'clock had arrived, she made sure everything was in order. When Tabitha reached the shop, her body was shaking. She was feeling the effects of what had happened barely an hour before. 

When Phillip saw her, he was naturally concerned. Working with her every day for three months now, he considered himself close to her in a professional aspect. She was a great employee, for the most part, pushing herself more than needed. He knew today was the start of a new adjustment for her, starting her classes. They had agreed, for now, she would work three hours every day, except Thursdays, which she would have off. 

  
"Tabitha, are you alright?" 

Phillip watched her eyes, they were full of fear, but when she registered the question he saw the change. He knew she was lying when she responded she was alright. Grey eyes saw her hands tremble, even though it was slight. He wanted to ask her more, but it was her choice if she wanted to talk with him. Phillip wasn't one to pry. He gave her the tasks for the day, and she went right through them. As always, she was able to do everything perfectly, though she did space out in between. He would have mentioned it to her, but it made no sense. Giving her space was all he knew to do for now. 

  
He needed to go back to work in the pharmacy. Customers needed their meds. 

~~~

  
Six p.m. could not have come fast enough for Tabitha. Making sure all she needed to do was done, she bid goodbye to Mr.Brennan, heading back to the house down the street. She had to admit from their first meeting, Brennan wasn't all that bad. He was quite kind, in a rough sense, if that even made sense. He was gruff but meant well. For the most part, they wouldn't talk until the evening when everything whined down. 

  
He was a charming man for the most part, funny too. They shared quite a few interests, which surprised Tabitha, but it may be because he was always alone, so he had nothing else to do except care for the shop and pharmacy. Tabitha wanted to know his story, why he was all alone. He was handsome in the classic sense, strong and smart. He should have several women close to his age flocking over him, but there weren't. Brennan was a good man from what she saw. But, as she quickly learned, the good always takes the blows. 

When reaching back home for the second time, she wanted to relax but was unable to. Father Foley was there. It was like he was trying to worm into her life. She picked up Issac first thing and ran up the stairs. 

"I'm going to give Issac a bath." 

  
Usually, her favorite time of the day was with Issac. He couldn't talk and usually gave no trouble. Bathing him relaxed her a bit, all smiles and no tears. She needed to shower, relax her muscles. 

  
She wasn't going to do it with that priest around, though. If anything he proved today, it was that not even her grandmother's presence would stop him or his intentions. And what he did say rang in her ears. When Sonya would leave the Earth, Tabitha and Issac would be alone with him. New York wouldn't be the answer only because she knew her parents couldn't afford for the two to live back there, so her grandmother's cottage was the answer. The only things pushing her forward, for the time being, would be the scholarships she would be getting. 

At least there was still something for her to look forward to, for now. 

She just wanted this day to end. There were too many reminders of what bad would come. Taking the baby back to her room, she cleaned him up, ruffling his brown hair lightly, his light brown eyes shining brightly. She hummed to Issac a little before he fell asleep, putting him in his cot. Wanting one moment of rest, she just laid on her bed for a moment and closed her eyes. 

She fell asleep without realizing it. 

Stephen had heard the young girl humming the child to sleep, well he saw her. Her door was still slightly open. He was going to tell her that Sonya had called her, but he stopped close to the door. He was enchanted by how she had handled Issac. He watched as she too fell asleep. Guilt from earlier in the day seeped into him. 

Well, he didn't do anything wrong. Stephen only told her some stuff, the truth. His conscience told him that wasn't true. He did more than that. He intimidated her, It was evident. Despite her words, he knew she was wrapped in his fingers. Other than her running away from the car, she did everything he asked, even when her mouth said otherwise. 

  
There was arousal in his mind to that thought, about how he managed to change her. 

The reality was that Stephen didn't change her for the better, but worse. His rationale should be in question as to how he did not realize that. The truth was that he wasn't worried she would tell anyone. Sonya would believe him without question, and who would believe her, a young girl with questionable intentions or him, a revered priest who had served the community for over ten years? 

  
Stephen went to the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror. He wasn't wearing his priest uniform anymore, but his regular sweater and slacks. He scratched his beard, thinking deeply about life. 

Did he still want to be a priest anymore? Well, he did, but should he move on with his life? 

  
His father was bothering him about the company again, stating that he was just waiting on him for the answer. Honestly, Stephen did love being a priest, but he knew something was missing. 

  
He turning 31 within the month. Maybe he wanted to move up in life goals. Now he wanted more out of his life, whatever that meant to him. 

Was he ready for a change, though? Stephen wasn't too sure yet. 

The only thing he knew was that Tabitha was going to be a part of it, whether she wanted to be or not.


	8. All I Want for Christmas is You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas everyone!!

17, end of December 

Tabitha had always thought that it was cold in New York during the holidays. That was nothing compared to what she had been feeling the past few weeks. What made things worse was her being anemic. She believed in her mind that she got colder quicker because of that. Was it true? Tabitha wasn't sure, but she told everyone that for good measure. 

Even in her grandmother's house, she wore several layers of clothes with the heat on. Back at her parents, Tabitha would wear her dad's extra-large hoodies around the house. Even that did not guarantee her full warmth. If she was this cold, what about Issac? He was only a baby, so making sure he didn't get sick was imperative. He was her world, and if anything were to happen to him, she wouldn't know what to do.

After getting herself in a routine, the juggling of school, work, and the home weren't near as bad as the first day. The best part was that she was still on top of her classes. Now, that did not mean she didn't go through her battles with Father Foley. It had become more evident about how much trouble he wanted to give her. 

It started with her Religious Studies class, with discussions in class turning into debates of theology. Most of the other girls didn't care about the course. What was the importance of religion in their lives? It wasn't like they took it home with them. It was different for Tabitha though, she grew up in it, and it was all she could hold onto for hope. 

Her teacher was impressed with her arguments, being that she took on the perspective of a Protestant and depended on different readings and interpretations than most Catholic doctrines. He had mentioned it to Father Foley, even showing him her papers she had written on the topics. 

According to all of her teachers, except for her Maths and Chemistry, Tabitha's papers were well written. Her ability to write both academic and creative essays were phenomenal. 

They didn't know what she had gone through as a child to get this good, though. Her parents believed in discipline, not just 'reprimanding your children' but spanking them. She remembered being hit as a child whenever she did something wrong. Not enough to say child abuse, but the memories were still fresh in her mind. 

Her mother would get irritated when she didn't want to do her schoolwork as a little girl, causing her father to get annoyed and hit her. It wasn't like he would hit her hard or anything, but it did scare her enough to do well in her classes. She remembered being ten, and her mother forced her to stay up till midnight to write her paper three times. It was worth it in the end. The paper was great. 

So it wasn't something that came naturally to her. She practiced it over the years. 

Foley read her papers, but he was not in awe like everyone else. There was her theory that one should not look to pray to God through a higher authority, and her convenient example was a priest. She believed that someone could pray with you, but only the person can ask God for forgiveness and help by themselves. They must confront their situation and sins and not think that saying a ritualistic mantra such as 'Hail Mary' and go about their lives. 

So in her next paper, saying that the Holy Spirit is not something that one can summon by becoming a pastor or a priest or even the pope. She believed it was based on the person's relationship with God and his Son Jesus. The Holy Spirit is what God gives them and isn't based on the earthly approval of others. She referred to several prophets in the Bible, such as Samuel, Daniel, even Jeremiah. Tabitha's religion teacher understood her point and couldn't cheat her of a good grade. 

Father Foley knew if Tabitha's papers were seen outside the school walls, part of the community would turn their back on her. The notions she wrote of were too far-fetched in their minds. He got a fright reading her papers, seeing how she did not fully believe in the church authorities. 

He needed her to understand that this was unacceptable to write. It was ideologies like this that made people outside question the Church. It was already hard to keep members from the scandal that broke out a few years prior, but her thinking was a different extreme. He never had these discussions with Sonya, so he wondered who taught her that this was right. 

Tabitha, unbeknownst to Father Foley, did have her relationship with God. She did try to pray every day and also read her Bible. Although sometimes it was hard, there were days that she didn't do the right things, and make mistakes. Tabitha learned over the years that she needed to learn to forgive herself also for the things she did. Sometimes there were hard days, especially in the past year, but she knew things would get better. 

She remembers what her mother told her once that there will be many black clouds before the rainbow. Tabitha believed that she was going through the black clouds to reach her rainbow. She didn't know what would come with the rainbow. But when it did arrive, it would be great. 

He had called her into his office several times over the few months to talk to her about it, but she wasn't responding to him. There was often scolding on his part, telling her that she shouldn't write or believe such things. Tabitha was adamant to remind Father Foley that she wasn't like him, a Catholic. She was not going to change her views to fit into the mold he wanted. He would often stand right in front of her. His body towering over her sitting form, threatening her if she didn't stop writing such 'radical' things in his school, there would be consequences. She wasn't sure what he had meant by that, but he wasn't going to scare her out of what she believed. 

Often more than not, she would remind him that he couldn't stop her views, nor could he control her grades. He was the headmaster, but he couldn't control her academics. Only the teachers could. Based on her work, Tabitha was doing well without the help of others. Foley wouldn't admit it, but she was right. He couldn't control her grades. 

~~~

It was the day before the Christmas break, and everyone was excited for classes to end. They would be leaving after Mass, which would be pretty early. There was also excited that there might be a white Christmas the year. Although it wasn't often, a white Christmas was a good sign to many. 

Tabitha herself never saw a white Christmas. The snow would usually come to New York mostly, in February and March. She was excited to see one, and it would be great for Issac to celebrate his first one like that too.

Tabitha was busy with her applications, so the emotion which entered her mind was nervousness. For now, she filled out her late applications for the US before she was working on applications for other places, just in case, things weren't going her way. She knew it was her only hope, and she did pray to God every day that His will would be done. She knew that the colleges would be monitoring her grades currently in this school, so failing was not an option. So far, she was doing great, and there were talks that she could be valedictorian even though she just started a few months before. It excited her a lot, knowing if she was back in New York, she would've been one. 

After Mass, which bore her every time, especially with the communion ritual, she had to wait for Father Foley, as always. It was one thing she had to do now, ride home with him. Her grandmother was adamant about it, so Tabitha didn't complain to her but sucked it up. Foley would make several efforts to talk with her, but she would be busy with other things such as small assignments or doing things for her college applications. 

Tabitha was wary of him, but she didn't make any efforts to upset him. Now, whenever he would ask her to do something, she did it without complaint. She would see herself sitting across from him almost every evening with her grandmother, not having a conversation but listening to them talk. In all her years being there, she never truly listened to them speak. 

They did sound like old friends as if they knew one another for years. Tabitha can't say she didn't understand why. He was all her grandmother had other than herself and Issac. As time went on, Sonya's health did become worse. Tabitha couldn't do anything more except try to care for Sonya to the best of her ability. Although she had a lot of pain, Sonya did to want to show her granddaughter she was going places, and she didn't want to be the reason that Tabitha wasn't going to do things to her best potential. As of October, Sonya started to use a walker to walk. She used to imagine people in their eighties to use it, but not mid-sixties. 

Deep down, Sonya was scared of what her future would be like or how much longer she had left. Maybe she would head to New York with Tabitha, just to give her goodbyes. She missed her children dearly, but she also knew their situation they wouldn't give her sufficient care. She just felt horrible that Tabitha had to be the one to sacrifice her life in some way for her. She was a young girl meant to have fun, not take care of others before her time. 

Sonya often wondered why Tabitha was the one to take care of Issac. She was his older sister, not his mother. Sonya knew in the future this would affect them in the future if he believed that Tabitha was his mother rather than his parents. 

Unless...

Well, she didn't want to even think about that. She knew that child was not Tabitha's. Tabitha knew better than to have sex before marriage. Her mother was still young enough to have a child, so Sonya knew he was not that young girl's child. But to send him here with her was cruel. The young girl shouldn't have that responsibility. 

This is why she's thankful for Stephen. He was sent by God just for her. She only wished that he and Tabitha would get along more. She wasn't sure of what had caused the rift between them, well they were never on the best terms from what she noticed in their behaviors, but after that trip for Tabitha's sixteenth birthday, the latter would avoid him altogether. 

Now, she didn't want to think that anything bad had happened between them, but although she would never say it, Sonya knew something was wrong. He may be good to her and others in the community, but she wasn't sure about her granddaughter. She wouldn't deny seeing the way the priest looked at Tabitha and the way she would avoid him. He was like a love-struck puppy who protected her whenever needed. 

Sonya would've said it was alright except for two things. The first was that he was a Catholic priest, so it was never going to happen. The second thing was that he was 14 years older than her, and she was still a teenager. In Sonya's time, that was a normal thing, but it was now going to be the 21st century. Times have changed. 

Tabitha didn't need to settle down right away. Her education was important. 

For the first time in a while, Sonya had stared off into space, wondering how things would be like when she would be gone. If there was anything she needed to make sure of, it was to ensure Tabitha was taken care of. Even though Tabitha wanted to go to college in America, if there was a chance that something was to happen, Sonya wanted to do right by her and leave her something. Tabitha was the only one from her family who was there for her. 

Sonya had a lot of thinking to do for the holidays. 

~~~

This Christmas would be the first Tabitha would spend away from her family. She would've been sad, but Christmas was never really the best time of the year for her. She would usually find herself crying, often from pressure and stress. She couldn't do that anymore, but at least now, it wouldn't be as hectic. It was only bad that she would have to spend it with someone she didn't like. 

Yes, her grandmother said they would be spending Christmas with Stephen. Well, not only him but his parents too. He claimed that since Sonya was getting a little worse off and that the storm was coming for Christmas, he would feel better if she and Tabitha and Issac would stay with him during that time. Tabitha internally rolled her eyes at that. 

What a hero he was.

Now she needed to tell Mr. Brennan that she wouldn't be around Christmas Day. 

~~~

He laughed at her when she told him, "You do realize I wasn't serious when I said that, right?"

"What?"

Mr.Brennan shook his head while laughing still, "I'm not cruel, Tabitha. I only said that thinking wouldn't be so persistent in getting the job. I have to admit, though, I'm glad to see how serious you are about it. I know it isn't the world's best job, but it does show great work ethic that will benefit you in the future." He patted her on the shoulder before going back to what he needed to do. 

Tabitha was dumbfounded. She was happy, not needing to work Christmas day, but still, he must've not wanted her to work there to say that. 

"Why didn't you want me to work here?" Phillip turned to look at her, perplexed by her question. They worked together for half a year now, and he wondered why it was only now she asked that. They had grown closer over that time, even going beyond just co-workers. He can probably call a friend in some retrospect. "Honestly, I think I wasn't sure how things would be with you around. I wanted someone older, and seeing how young you are, I thought you were going to take it for granted. I'm glad to see I was wrong." She smiled at him before bidding her goodbye, "Have a Merry Christmas, Mr.Brennan." 

Phillip took a step back to think about her question a bit more and how exactly she surprised him. Even with how busy she was, she somehow remembered his birthday, making him a cake from scratch. Once in a while, they would sit down with a cup of coffee and discuss Greek literature, a common interest for both. She was indeed unlike any of the girls he knew before. 

He just felt terrible that she had so much stress in her life. He knew who was the cause: Stephen Foley. From the first moment Phillip saw him years ago, he knew there wasn't something right. He came right before Phillip came back from uni and was already chummy with Sonya by then. There was no doubt in his mind that Stephen had something to do with the crumbling his their relationship as friends. 

Now, he wasn't the only person Foley was bothering, but Tabitha too. Just in a different way. 

Phillip did take notice of how often the priest would pass by the shop, looking at Tabitha. She either didn't notice him or chose to ignore him. There have been times he would come into the shop (something he never did until Tabitha started to work there) and just try to talk and have a discussion with her. He even started to become a regular just to see her. Although he took notice of it, Phillip didn't say anything. He couldn't. The most he could do was make sure to stay around when the priest was near. 

He took psychology and behavioral classes back in uni when he wanted to become a physician at first. Tabitha's face and her subconscious actions when he was around, Phillip knew something happened, just not how far it had gone. He would have asked her, but he didn't want to jump the gun. If she wanted to tell, she will when she was ready.

When she told him her holiday plans, he was worried about her state of mind when she would be back. 

Phillip hoped that nothing would happen to her, but then again, he needed to stop assuming that something happened. Maybe he was only thinking this because of his feeling towards Father Foley. 

Unlike Tabitha, Phillip would be celebrating the holiday by himself. He didn't have any living relatives since his father's passing five years prior. His usual way of celebrating the holiday was spending it like a regular day, except making himself a dinner nicer than usual. He never thought that at 26, he would be having so much time spent alone. He had plans for a better life, but that all changed when the girl he loved went away. 

She thought it would be beneficial to marry someone who could offer her more than a shop and a comfy lifestyle. There were also many other factors in her choice, but Phillip always thought that was the main reason. He wanted someone who would be happy with just him and not seek the materials in life. Someone who understood the trials one had to go through and push forward. 

Someone who can laugh with him. 

He wasn't sure when he would meet that person, but he hoped it would be sooner rather than later. 

Phillip looked at the dark sky outside the shop window, the snow lightly falling. It was a beautiful sight, and for some reason, reminded him of hope for a brighter future.

A laugh escaped his lips. He was always known to be a romantic at heart. 

~~~

The trip to Father Foley's parents' house wasn't too bad. It was an hour away, and there was a beautiful view of the sea as the snow fell. Christmas Eve was halfway done. They were planning to reach just in time for dinner.

Sonya sat in the front with Foley, while Tabitha was in the backseat with Issac in his car seat. He was asleep, most likely because of the movement of the car. Back home, she would've been able to drive herself, but that was something she couldn't afford here, and besides, her grandmother wouldn't find the use of it since 'Stephen' was always around.

As per usual, Tabitha was quiet for the ride. Her index finger was wrapped by Issac's whole hand. She couldn't believe he was already ten months old, already taking his first steps and even making sounds to attempt to form words. For now, he tried today 'car', probably only hearing the talk about cars every day from Foley and her grandmother at the dinner table. Tabitha was currently feeding him a few solid foods, mostly pureed foods. He could understand whenever she pointed to an object and told him what it was. 

His hair grew out at a slightly faster pace, now having curls with the light brown hair starting to turn only a little darker. Tabitha wished she had that. Her hair was a dark brown, sometimes mistaken for black. Her hair was also straight, well if she curled it, the style would hold, but its natural state was thick and straight. It was different from both of her parents; her mother had curly hair that was turning grey despite her young age, while her father's hair was thinning.

Thankfully, it was not in a weird way, like in the middle, but his hairline was slowly receding, most likely due to always wearing hats for work. She knew it had to be that only because her uncle, who was older than her father by a decade, had a full head of hair. Besides, she heard wearing hats too often can cause the thinning of hair. Tabitha saw pictures of her father when he was younger. He had thick hair with nice waves, so it was just a recessive gene that gave her straight hair, but she wasn't complaining. For the most part, she liked her hair the way it was. 

Her free hand lightly combed Issac's hair, watching his even breathing with the pacifier in his mouth. He had started teething, so she expected some fussiness. She only hoped it wouldn't be too bad during the next few days. 

The hour had passed quicker than she thought, but she just cared about getting inside a warm place for her and Issac. She had two bags, one with her stuff and another with Issac's. She needed to take the baby in first, so she put another blanket around his carrier before taking him along the path lead by Father Foley. She shivered from the cold, but that was forgotten when she looked at Father Foley's parent's home in awe. It wasn't a mansion, but it was a nice and big home. It was bigger than Father Foley's place, so in the back of her mind, she figured that he had pretty much lived a lavished life, which could explain his attitude. 

Entering inside, it was even more beautiful than the outside. There was quite a bit of decoration, with a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the two-story house. Holding onto Issac's carrier with both hands, she finally looked towards one of the two hosts, Foley's mother. 

She was beautiful. Tabitha could see who Father Foley got his eyes from. Unlike him, his mother had long blonde hair styled to perfection. She wasn't too tall, just about average height, but she had a slim body. Her face didn't show any wrinkles. Well, only a few small ones along her smile lines. His mother hugged him first. It seemed as though she hadn't seen him in a while. 

"Stephen! I'm so glad that you've finally arrived! It's been such a long day waiting for you." He didn't laugh or smile at his mother's comment, but he returned her hug. Stephen did miss his mother deeply, but his care for Sonya had become greater over time. "I missed you too, mum. Let me introduce you to our guests. This is the famous Sonya I've told you about, and here are her grandchildren Tabitha and Issac." His mother first greeted her grandmother, mentioning that she had heard a lot about her, and it was nice to finally meet her. 

But before immediately coming to her, Foley's mother stared at her for a moment. It didn't last long, but it was noticeable.

"Hello Tabitha, I'm Aileen. It's so nice to finally meet you." The words did register in her ears, but Tabitha simply greeted her back with a shake of the hand. "Hello Mrs. Foley, it is nice to meet you too. You have a beautiful home. 

What did Mrs.Foley mean by  _ finally _ good in meeting her? Tabitha didn't consider herself anywhere near close to Stephen, so why would he mention her? She saw his mother coos towards the sleeping Isaac, but Stephen held his mother's arm to stop her. He asked if they could get into the house because of how cold it was. Questions invaded Tabitha's mind without realizing that she was being led into the rooms. 

The room was spacious, but it was empty of any decoration other than furniture and curtains to cover the window. 

Leaving Issac in the room to sleep, Tabitha followed Mrs.Foley around the rest of the house she was showing. The bathroom wasn't too far away, but not close to where she could run to her room to change clothes. The bedroom Tabitha was placed in was in between the one her grandmother would stay in and Father Foley's room. 

Anxiousness rose in her seeing how close he was, and with the lack of proper locks in the rooms, she wondered if he could enter any time he wished. 

They were all told that dinner would start within a half-hour, so they had a little time to get themselves together. Usually, Tabitha's family wouldn't have Christmas dinner, so this would be a new experience. She decided to dress in something modest. A burgundy fitted sweater and a black skirt along with dark stockings and heels. She wanted to make a good impression only because she wasn't sure of what Father Foley said about her. She decided not to put Issac in the corny Santa baby outfit that her parents had sent, but rather a cute green suit and vest she bought on clearance a few weeks prior because of how nice it looked. 

Now that Issac was awake and not fussy, she decided to head down and see everyone else. They were all in the living room where the fireplace was and another tree. So, Father Foley came from a pretty rich family, making her wonder why he decided to take the route he was in. She saw her grandmother talking with Mrs. Foley, deep in conversation, while Father Foley was looking into the fire. There was another figure there, turned towards Father Foley and speaking to him, but in an unkind way if she were to base it on the movement of his hands. 

It must be his dad. From what she could see, he had the same brown hair, just with silver streaks, and his body was of similar height to his son. 

Tabitha decided to take a seat near her grandmother. A smile spread on her face. Issac decided that Tabitha held him long enough and fought to crawl onto Sonya's lap. The delight was seen with the two older women, Sonya telling Aileen the backstory of Tabitha and Issac. There was some pity seen in Aileen's eyes at first, but then they became lighter. 

"Well, Tabitha, you're a courageous girl to take all these responsibilities on your own. I know if I was in the same boat, I'd be a helpless mess. Are you also planning to take classes in uni?" Tabitha nodded before answering, "Yes, I'm planning to go back to the US to further my education." 

"That's good. What do you plan on doing?" Tabitha surprisingly never thought that far ahead. If it were her parent's choice, they would say to go into the medical field, but they knew her dislike for science, so that was a flat no. She didn't have a clue, just that she needed to head there. 

"Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure, but maybe I'll head into writing or journalism." 

"Interesting, do you want to write for a newspaper or independent work?" 

"I'm not sure yet, but for now, I think that would be the best road ahead for me. Either I do that or enter into the field of becoming a professor. I always thought that would be something cool to do." 

"You're a rather ambitious girl for your obstacles." She turned now to hear an older voice, Father Foley's father.

She had a clearer view of his face. His son got the majority of his physical features from him. She turned her body to face the elder Foley now, feeling like she had to defend herself. "I suppose it is an ambitious road, but in the world we live in today, it shouldn't be too difficult. And I'll be back home with my family. It will be alright." She gave a closed-off smile to the older man, who nodded, but there was something about his face that made her question herself a bit. Like if it would be impossible for her to do whatever she put her mind to. 

Tabitha tried to learn over the years not to constrict herself only to the negative people may think of her. She needed to push beyond their expectations.

But there was no time for any further discussions about that. It was time to eat. 

~~~

The dinner went pretty alright, for the most part. There was mostly talking between Sonya and Stephen's parents. Tabitha was told to call Father Foley Stephen now that they weren't in the public eye. His father didn't like hearing his son addressed as Father Foley. It was evident that his father didn't like that his son was a priest. 

Stephen was quiet for most of the dinner, eating his food while listening to the elders' talk. He watched as Tabitha had eaten her food while also feeding Issac. She had only spoken when asked a question, but there was no snarkiness in her answers. She was polite and sweet. 

Tabitha took notice of the way Mr.Foley had spoken. There was an air about him that spoke great volumes of arrogance, even in the way he had spoken to his own family. He asked her quite a bit of question. It was almost like an interview until his wife asked him to stop. He protested, saying that she was a young person who had a lot in her life. He was intrigued to understand how she was doing so well on top of her struggles. An eyebrow quirked hearing that, wondering how he knew of that if he wasn't on the best terms with his son. 

It wasn't until Stephen asked him to stop when his father, Callum, gave him an indescribable look before stopping. 

There was something up. 

After dinner and some dessert, everyone decided it was time to call it a night. Stephen helped Sonya back to her room while Tabitha cleaned up the mess Issac made while experimenting with the sensation of touch with food. 

"He is a beautiful boy." She looked up to see Mrs. Foley once again, who came to help her out. "Thanks, my parents would love to hear that." 

"I'm sure they would love to hear that about their grandchild."


	9. Creep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is revealed to an unlikely source. Tabitha is ambushed at her most vulnerable, and she decided to finally reveal to someone what really happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a great holiday! Happy New Year to everyone and I hope it will be a safe and healthy one. 
> 
> Warning: This chapter will have a sexual assault. 
> 
> Also, if you enjoy this story do check out my holiday two-shot Merry Christmas, Darling. It's delectably dark and our heroine is a fighter! 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy <3

17, Christmas Eve

  
The young girl froze in her actions, looking up at the older woman before answering, "What are you talking about?" 

"I know how a mother looks at a child." Instead of protesting like she wanted to, Tabitha trembled a little before a silent tear rolled down her face. Who was she kidding? Mrs.Foley was right. It made no sense to hide it anymore. 

  
"Please, don't tell anyone. It would break my grandmother's heart if she knew the truth." Conviction crossed the older woman's heart, not out of despising towards the young girl, but understanding her fear. There was so much more at stake for Tabitha than herself when she was young. When she had Stephen, she was already Mrs.Foley, running the household of a CEO, and living life as a housewife with nothing else to live for really. This girl still had her life ahead, and even though she didn't know details about the child's conception, Aileen knew that she wouldn't judge her, not like how she did others. 

  
"It's alright. Your secret is safe with me." Was it? Well, in all truth, she would tell her husband, not that he would run to tell anyone though, he had more important things to worry about in his life.   
The young girl nodded before running up to her room with the child at hand. 

  
~~~

  
When Aileen was in her bed, 11:30 at night, she turned to her husband, who was still awake looking at a proposal when she said to him the news. 

  
"Well, I figured that out already. A might fine looking boy too if you ask me. Stephen did good, didn't he?" She was taken aback by her husband's comments. "That's not Stephen's child." 

  
"Yes, it is, you impudent woman. I know how a Foley boy looks like, and that is what the baby is. Our strong brows and brown curls, don't tell me you didn't notice, Aileen."

She was now lost. How did her husband notice all of this before she did? And why did he sound like there wasn't any problem? 

  
"Well, there is some familiarity, but most babies look the same. That's not Stephen's child. He's a priest, for Christ's sake!" Her head was beginning to hurt her. That thought was incredulous; her son didn't have an affair with a young girl. 

  
"Well, it seems like a mother doesn't know everything about her precious son. That baby is the future heir of Foley Industries." 

  
"Wait, if you believe that the baby is Stephen's child, why didn't you ask him about it? Are you planning on taking her child away?" 

  
Callum looked exhausted with his wife; he loved her, but sometimes he wondered why she didn't think ahead. 

  
"Of course, I didn't ask him. Do you think he knows? It seems like you and I are the only ones who know the truth about that baby here." 

  
"You do have a point. The poor girl begged me not to tell her grandmother about it." 

  
"Exactly! And besides, she sounds like she's planning to do things with her life, I approve of actually." A laugh came out of his wife's mouth, "You? Approve of a woman working and taking care of a child by herself?" 

  
"No, well, of course not. The girl's smart, but she wouldn't be raising that child on her own. Stephen will be leaving the priesthood soon."

  
"I don't think so. Even as you just said, Stephen knows nothing about it." 

"While that is true, he is going to be leaving it. He said so to me a week ago." "Well, the fact that he told you anything surprises me." It was his turn to roll his eyes, "Besides that, he's in love with her. Didn't you take any notice of how that saint of a child you consider him to be was looking at that young girl? I don't blame him, to be honest, but that's all he's been doing. While she's been ignoring him." 

  
Aileen didn't notice the interaction, caught up in conversation with Sonya, but if there was one thing Callum knew how to do, it is to read people and observe them closely. That's why he was so successful. 

"But why would she ignore him? You think it's to cover up the affair?" 

  
"What affair? What fantasy did you conjure up in your mind? She doesn't like him one bit." Confused now, she then asked the burning question she knew she wouldn't like the answer to, "Then if this child is Stephen's, as you so believe, but they never had an affair as you also assume, how is it that you think this child came about?" 

When hearing her husband's response, everything turned blurry. No, her only son, the Catholic priest liked by everyone, did not do that. Not to that young girl. 

  
"You're lying! Stephen would never, ever do something like that!" With each word came a hit from her to his shoulders, to which he cried out in some pain. He wasn't as young as before to take her blows. "How could you say something like that with such ease!" 

  
Callum gave his wife a cynical smile, "Because, if my son is anything like me, he goes after what he wants and desires. He went after her and got something extra out of it. Don't be surprised. I mean, you were always worried he liked boys, so you should be happy that isn't the case." 

  
"But to do that to a young girl? And she had to deal with it all by herself?" She needed to stop and think, what is she to think of this? She would've been alright if that insinuation from her husband didn't occur. If any of this turned out to be true, how was she to feel about it? She would love to know her grandchild, but would Tabitha be willing? Would she even want to say that she had gone through that ordeal if it was so? 

  
"Look, Aileen, don't be surprised when Stephen leaves the church and seeks to marry that girl. She will be a part of this family. I'm almost certain about it." 

  
Aileen would've given a rebuttal, but there was a scream heard. Fear erupting through her now, she went to the door to see what had happened. 

She was shocked to see her son come out of the steaming bathroom with a dark look on his face. Never in her life did Aileen once thought that her son could look so evil, nor that he was indeed capable of doing something so perverse. 

She decided to walk to the bathroom, knocking on the door. 

  
"Y-Yes?"

  
"Dear, it's Aileen. Are you alright?" A timid Tabitha answered, "Yes, I'm sorry if I woke you up. I thought I saw a spider or something. I tend to get scared easily. Please, don't mind me." Aileen wanted nothing more than to open the door to see if she was really alright, but if she was scared, to tell the truth, then so be it. She wasn't going to force the truth out of the girl. It was clear she was scared about what could happen. 

  
Going back, Aileen knew she needed to pray about what was happening.

  
And give a few Hail Mary's when she went to church. 

  
~~~

Although it was pretty late, Tabitha knew she needed to shower. She would've done it earlier, but she wanted to make sure Issac would be well-rested for the next day, so she played with him for a few hours before he became tired. 

  
She didn't know how Mrs. Foley figured out the truth about Issac being her child. Other than her parents and everyone at her old school Tabitha had crossed paths with, no one else knew the truth. She didn't dare utter it, not without knowing how much it could affect others. 

  
It did feel odd that someone here knew the truth. Could Tabitha trust Stephen's mother? Well, at the moment, Tabitha had no choice. She didn't think that she would tell Stephen about it, because what would he do? 

  
Well, Tabitha didn't know what he would do, but she knew that he had suspicions about the situation. 

  
She took her pajamas and went to shower. She needed to wash off some of the stress. The inside was pretty big, and like everywhere else, had white walls that looked immaculate. She was expecting a grand bathroom, but it was pretty simple with a modern twist of sophistication.

Getting the water warm, she entered it before putting her towel over her head. There was a door which ad blurred glass, but it didn't give her much comfort. Tabitha became consumed with the confrontation with Aileen at first. Over time, it moved onto happier thoughts like how Christmas Eve would usually be for her.  
Usually, back in New York, she would watch The Sound of Music on tv, excited for Christmas to come. For some reason, she would wait till midnight before attempting to go to sleep. She would make sure all the gifts she received would look presentable in front of the Christmas village her mother would make since they didn't have a tree. 

  
She would remember the Christmas songs she would usually sing with her family. She started to hum one softly, The First Noel. She always liked that song as a little girl. It brought her back to a happier time in her life. It was times like this when she wished she would be able to speak to her parents more. It wasn't like they didn't want to talk, but the less said between all of them, the better it would be. 

  
Maybe it was weird, but Tabitha wouldn't be considered herself to be emotionally attached to her parents. It could be that she was used to not being around them for months at a time since being with her grandmother. Even so, it was a little scary that she didn't miss her parents in that way. 

  
She wondered when Issac would be her age if his thinking would be the same. 

  
As she was humming, deep in her thoughts of nostalgia, Tabitha didn't remember the door was unlocked. That anyone could enter at their own free will. With the bathroom covered with steam and the sound of water coming out was hard, she didn't take notice of the tall figure who stepped into the room. She was thinking of how she would plan to tackle all of her assignments. 

  
When she was finally ready to stop, she took off the water and took her towel. It was then when she saw the priest through the glass, fear imminent within her. She screamed at first, not sure of what else to do, well, other than quickly covering up her body, hiding behind the big towel. 

"W-what are you doing in here?" He stayed silent for a moment longer, almost taking a step closer in her direction. For a moment, a slight moment, she saw something crazy in his eyes. It was as if his body was taken over by something else. 

  
"I heard the shower on and wondered who would be here so late at night. You should hurry up. You wouldn't want to get sick." Her eyes were wide, and for the first time, she saw a smirk on his face. Stephen knew exactly what he did. 

He walked up to her. She would've moved back, but there wasn't anywhere to go. 

Then it came. 

He grabbed her roughly, one hand going towards her breast and the other to her buttocks. He kissed her neck, making Tabitha want to crawl out of her skin. She kept trying to push him off, but she was scared her towel would fall, and he would do worse. 

"Stop! Please, Stephen, don't do this." She was crying now, remembering how hopeless she was when she turned 16.

She screamed louder again, praying that someone would hear her.

  
It worked. Stephen stopped his actions against her. Even though he was fully clothed, he looked disheveled in appearance. 

He looked her in the eyes. Her dark eyes were in fear while he looked wild like something came out of him. Without saying a word, he left. 

Even minutes after he left, she refused to move from her spot. How did he get in? Why would he do that? She wondered if he saw her and would've done the same thing in her grandmother's home. Shivers overtook her as she heard the knock on the door.

"Y-Yes?"

"Dear, it's Aileen. Is everything alright? I heard you scream." Relief washed over the young girl hearing the voice. At least he wasn't back.

She gave her excuse, but knowing that she wasn't in danger anymore, took a step out of the shower and changed into her nightwear. When she went out of the door, there was no one outside. She still rushed back to her room. Tabitha was up half the night. Sleep didn't come as an aid; every time she closed her eyes, Stephen was in her face, attacking her.

Since that night, she had that same dream. Tabitha was in the hotel room, happy. Everything was light. Then he would be there, darkness surrounding him. She would pull back from his clawing hands, but he would somehow still get a hold of her. Then, he would say something which disturbed her. "You did this. You caused me to be this way". It was when he moved his face closer to her that she would get up in fright, sweat covering her body. 

  
It was months since she had that dream, but here it was again. She woke up in fear Christmas morning, scared that it was indeed her fault that she was in this situation. 

  
Looking at the clock, it was nine in the morning. Tabitha barely caught four hours of sleep. She was sore everywhere, but she knew better than to stay in bed any longer. Hearing Issac's gibberish, the young girl got up and took him out of his cot, making sure to change his diaper and clothes before moving on to herself. She wore a simple green jumper and jeans, not feeling up to looking nice. Her hair was up halfway, some strands in her face which she made into ringlets. 

  
When she had gone to the kitchen with Issac the first thing they saw was the snow outside the large glass windows. She went up there, taking the baby to see his first snow. His hand reached to the window as if he would be able to catch the snowflakes that way. She smiled at his innocence, "That's snow. When you get older, we'll play in it together and make snowmen, have snowball fights, even make angels." She thought back to her childhood of also doing that. Tabitha could remember only being outside for more than twenty minutes since her mother was paranoid about her catching a bad cold. 

  
What pulled her back into reality was the smell of baked goods like fresh bread, something her mother would make for the holidays.

  
Maybe she should ask for the recipe. Her grandmother would enjoy eating some homemade bread from Trinidad.

  
~~~

  
Christmas day was decent overall, despite the events from the night before. Stephen left Tabitha alone, for the most part. It was his stare that bothered her. Oddly, she took notice of Mrs.Foley going out of her way to keep Tabitha occupied as a form of distraction. She wondered what his mother thought of her situation or if she believed that Tabitha purposely had a child out of wedlock. For the most part, she held onto Issac, which Tabitha felt like she owed her at least. In her right mind, Tabitha will never allow Stephen to claim rights to being Issac's father. She knew it meant his parent's ability to be legal grandparents of Issac would also be revoked. 

  
The four left that evening, just as quiet when they came the night before. 

  
Tabitha knew the first thing she would be doing when back in the morning, going straight to the shop to see Mr.Brennan. She expected to see him alone. He was always a good person to her, so she wanted to wish him a happy holiday. She would also take Issac, knowing her grandmother wanted to rest. 

  
Well, she wouldn't be telling Sonya about going since she could have another fit like months before. She still questioned why her grandmother seemed to hate Mr.Brennan so much, but she knew better than to ask, for now at least. 

  
For now, though, Tabitha chose to lock herself in her room and forget about Father Foley and his eyes, those dark eyes out to haunt her. 

  
Stephen wanted to apologize to Tabitha. He didn't know what had gotten into him when he had done that to her. One moment, he was trying to get something done for his father. The next, his feet went to the bathroom, where he heard Tabitha. He wasn't stupid. 

He knew she would be the only one there, but it didn't stop him.

  
Truth be told he was under stress, and his father was the source of it. Whenever Stephen would find himself at his parent's home, he would somehow get himself a lecture from his father to leave the priesthood and go into business with him. Now, having to worry about other things such as Sonya and the school, the parish, and his father's badgering, he felt out of control. He wanted some of that control back one way or another, and he found that Tabitha would be the source of his release.

Whenever he would find himself stressed, Stephen would find himself cornering Tabitha in some shape or form, whether it be to do something physically or emotionally. Seeing Tabitha out of control made him gain his own back.

And this time was no different.

He watched her silhouette as the steam overtook the room. Her humming was soft, but it was melodic, sweet to the ears. He watched as she had reached for her towel, clueless about his presence. Something in his soul rose, excitement about the situation he stumbled upon. 

  
It wasn't until she screamed that his mind fully registered what he was doing. Tabitha tried to cover her body, but he already memorized her curves. It wasn't hard to imagine what was under the towel. A smirk etched on his face seeing that fear in her eyes. Her body shivered from the cold air, wet hair dripping around her body clinging onto her. 

That, he thought, was a nice image. He didn't stop himself from going and groping Tabitha as he wanted, at that moment not caring about her questioning nor her feelings. Her skin felt soft under his touch. Stephen wanted to hold onto her forever. He felt her pushing against him, wanting to be out of his reach, but that only made him want to pull her closer and take her in a way he didn't before.

After her second scream, he chose to move away. He wasn't sure if anyone would hear her or not, but being caught in the bathroom with her would not be a good thing. 

  
He left after some time and walked back to his room. Stephen knew it was her surprised face that he felt himself yearning for the young girl more. He also noticed his parent's door slightly ajar after the encounter with Tabitha, most likely his mother. He wanted to go in and give an excuse, but then what if they didn't know anything and he gave himself away?

  
Deep down, Stephen knew an apology wouldn't do jack for her or help to amend the situation. It wouldn't make his conscious feel better either, since there was a dark place in him that felt that it was what he wanted. His want for her had grown over time. 

  
After dropping the trio off at Sonya's, he went into his own home, ready to call it a night. Passing his kitchen, he looked at the calendar covered in big x's on every date. At the end of it (December 31), it had written the number of days till Tabitha turned eighteen when she would already have graduated to move on with her life. 

  
It was also the day he would officially leave the priesthood to do as he pleased. 

  
Some may question why he wouldn't do it earlier, and the answer was simple. The moment he left the priesthood, he would lose control over young Tabitha, and he needed that so badly. When he would finish with her, she would wish to have been more compliant with him. He wanted her to beg him for forgiveness, and do anything he wanted, be at his mercy for what he had in store for her. 

  
It'll all happen in time. Stephen just needed to be a little more patient. He would always be two steps ahead of her. Tabitha didn't realize it yet. 

  
~~~

  
It was New Year's Eve, and unlike all of her neighbors, Tabitha was stuck in the shop. Even though she would finish earlier than usual, she promised Brennan to hang out with him, feeling safer around him than in her grandmother's home. 

  
For the last week, she had been making plans with her boss so she wouldn't stay around her grandmother's as much. Seeing Foley every day was hard enough, but if he was staying all day now that her grandmother managed to exert herself? She needed an out. 

  
Besides, it was a good time for Mr.Brennan to meet Issac. He loved children, so it seemed to be a good excuse. 

  
Sonya was not pleased to hear that Tabitha was going to spend time with Brennan. It almost started an argument. Father Foley also urged Tabitha not to go, but that just pushed her to want to spend time with her boss more. 

  
Tabitha feared a little about her relationship with her grandmother. As of present, they only seemed to fight more than anything else. She simply didn't understand what Mr.Brennan did to cause her grandmother's reaction, and surprisingly to her revelation, Phillip didn't know either. 

  
So it was settled. Tabitha was going to have them meet. After New Year's, of course, their recruiting would be a resolution. 

It was six in the evening when Mr.Brennan decided it would be an appropriate time to close the shop, and then they were off to his humble abode, it was barely three minutes away. Entering in, Tabitha noticed it had similar architecture to her grandmother's, except there were a lot more heirlooms and dark furnishing. She understood now what people meant by a woman's touch. It was what Brennan needed. 

  
She first set Issac's things down, with Brennan, who would prefer her to call Phillip now that they weren't in the shop, holding him. It was his first time meeting him, but he was a natural. Maybe he could help care for Issac when her grandmother wouldn't be able to. 

  
They both worked together to make supper. Since this was the first time Phillip was celebrating the holiday with anyone in years, he decided to go all out. He had spiced beef, smoked salmon, glazed ham, along with some fruitcake. Well, Tabitha liked everything except the latter. Her family would make it every Christmas, and she just never liked the flavor. She was more of a chocolate person.

  
They sat down to eat, thanking the Lord for the food provided and for the incoming year. They both talked about what was good and bad about the previous year, along with what they wanted to change. As they spoke about changing for the better, Tabitha felt nerves in her stomach. Tabitha knew to move forward, she needed to be open and reveal her secret. 

She could only onto it for so long. 

  
And it wasn't her fault anyway. Tabitha knew that she didn't cause it.

Right? 

The big question was why she thought Phillip Brennan was the right man to reveal this too; maybe it was because of his misunderstanding people had towards him, knowing what it felt like to be an outcast in silent terms. He understood what it was like to have no one by his side for several years. 

  
Also, she didn't trust anyone else with the information; her grandmother was out of the question, and although she made friends in school, what could they possibly do? Either they would call her a liar and whore spreading the news, or they would tell some authority who wouldn't be able to do anything. Father Foley was right in saying that at school, his word was law. He could change a person's life just by how he was feeling. 

  
Phillip was the only one who wasn't controlled by Father Foley, and he would believe her since she never lied to him, or anyone. It was rare for her to lie, knowing that she would be caught immediately. 

  
Mr.Brennan told her in his house, she could call him Phillip, which she was comfortable with doing. 

"Phillip, thank you for this meal. It means a lot to me, seeing that it was the first holiday I've spent without my family. Issac here is also glad for the company." She picked up a napkin to wipe the smeared food mix with dribble from the baby's face.

"To be frank, since coming to Ireland even as visits for the past few years, I do believe you're the only person I can ever consider to be a friend to me, and I thank you for that." The elder smiled at her. He also gained a friendship with her over the past few months. 

  
"Since I consider you to be a friend, and even more a confidante, I do need to confess something. I can't hold it in any longer." Tears overwhelmed her vision. Fear entered her, wanting to keep quiet about everything.

Maybe this was a bad idea, but if she didn't say anything, who knows what could happen when Father Foley pushes the limit? 

Phillip looked at the young girl across from him. This was the first time he ever saw her crying. He felt worse than the first time they met. She looked like a broken doll as the tears fell, and he wanted to do anything he could to stop her from feeling this way. He moved closer to her, not enough to touch her but to close in the distance. "Tabitha, what happened? What's making you cry like this?" 

  
She choked up for a few minutes, so he hesitantly moved to rub her back with one hand in aid of soothing her. When she finally had a voice to speak, she spat out what she wanted to say, "S-Since I came here when I was fifteen, Father Foley's harassed me." 

The soothing motion stopped. Tabitha was sure that Phillip was frozen next to her. "I-It wasn't like he did anything to me at first. There were looks, stares, comments about me and my attire. He crossed the line a bit every time, until, until the night I turned sixteen...."

  
She told him all about the events that happened over the past year and a half. When Tabitha finally dared to look at him, she saw a wave of anger she never saw before in any person. He was angry, and when he moved to touch her, she flinched. 

  
Phillip always suspected Foley of doing something heinous towards Tabitha, but nothing as those vile acts that she described to him. And for her to keep it in so long, Phillip couldn't comprehend it. All his suspicions were right though, Issac was her child and the father...

Phillip understood why she lied about it. He could understand why she told him over anyone else. 

  
"I'll kill him. The bastard deserves to suffer for what he did to you!" Tabitha shook her head, more tears spilling, "Phillip, you can't! Please, he can't know that I told anyone. He can't even know that Issac is his son. I'd rather die first before allowing him custody to see him. Please, I told you this in confidence because I knew you would see the truth. But I beg of you, don't do anything rash. Just promise me you won't tell anyone." 

  
"Of course, I wouldn't dream of doing anything like that. Just be careful Tabitha, it can only get worse for you if you don't take caution." 

  
The young girl nodded, "I know. I feel like he's planning something. I could see it in his eyes. I need to get away before I turn eighteen. I'm scared to see what he could do to make my life worse." 

  
She looked out the window. There was more snow than Christmas Day. Seeing the new year was impending in a few hours, Tabitha prayed that God would grant her favor and help bring down Foley, exposing him for who he was. 

Tabitha prayed for a new hope to come with the New Year. 


	10. Everybody Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations are made. 
> 
> Stephen makes his move.

17, mid-March

It was a long, cold winter. For Tabitha, all she wished for was the heating system that her parents had in New York. Her grandmother's place did have some heat, but it was an ongoing problem. They all had to use several blankets around the house, with little Issac bulked up at all times. Tabitha tried to talk to her grandmother about getting it fixed, but she refused, so they all had to suffer.

Whenever Father Foley would come he would put on the fireplace, which she was surprised still worked. If she had thought her summer attire was ridiculous, then now she looked as if she was from Alaska, donned in a thick jacket along with her other layers. At least with all the clothes they had to wear, he didn't eye her as openly.

The only place where she could wear a decent amount of clothes was the shop. Phillip wasn't as cruel and knew he needed to provide heat for her. The days were slow, seeing that no one tried to leave their house unless they needed to. Phillip saw that several prescriptions had yet to be picked up by customers. He wasn't complaining because there was space running out of his pharmacy, but rather that many of his customers were older. They needed their meds if they didn't want to be on bed rest.

Seeing the days moving slowly for him, Phillip decided to spend time devising how to make sure all the orders were fulfilled. He pondered over it day and night. It wasn't that it was important, but Phillip did care about the people of the community. Tabitha saw how troubled he was with this, and despite her full plate of problems, she wanted to help him out even a little.

One evening when she was finished with dinner and was busy with Issac, she looked at his clothes and realized that he needed a larger size. His clothes were small on him (which wasn't a problem since he was a bit smaller than most babies). While looking through Issac's clothes her mother sent for her, Tabitha found a piece of paper hidden at the bottom of the box. It was one of those dentist cards sent to remind someone to go to their appointment.

Although it wasn't much, it made her think. Phillip could create a system to call his customers and remind them about picking up their medications. It was a great plan! He seemed to be meticulous when it came to the pharmacy, so keeping track of the customer's dates wouldn't be too much to do either. Tabitha decided that the next day she would tell him about it, to see if he liked the idea or not. And besides, it would save him money than to send out paper reminders in the mail. It would also help to show that he is a caring member of the community.

She smiled, heading down into the kitchen after putting Issac to rest. She was happy to do something kind for Phillip after all the ways he's helped her out in the last few months. He was a tremendous help to her than she initially thought after confiding the truth in him. Other than one incident, Phillip made sure no one knew about his knowledge that Tabitha told him. Looking for a snack to eat, she paused, seeing a daunting figure in her kitchen. Yes, her kitchen. 

For the most part, she was the one using it helps to take care of her grandmother.

He was there making a cup of tea.

She was to his back, so soft steps were the answer. As long as she didn't do anything too loud, he wouldn't even notice she was there, or so she thought. She tiptoed to the top of the cupboard to grab the glass bottle (reminding her of being a child sneaking a cookie out of the cookie jar).

"Hello, Tabitha." 

Surprised, her hands shook, and mid-air, the glass jar was falling towards the floor. She was expecting glass to fly in all directions, loud noise followed by Issac's crying. Instead, there was silence. 

When she looked, Father Foley had caught the jar just in time. Her hands were still shaking, though, but it was from being so close to him again after so long.

After Christmas, Tabitha decided to start walking home. Despite the biting cold, the warmth from his car wasn't worth the risk. She spent much more hours with Phillip. Sometimes if she didn't have too much work, she would have dinner with him.

She knew what most people might be saying, that they were an item and no one should be surprised if wedding bells should ring for them soon. Even though it did make Tabitha blush, she knew in reality that wasn't the case. Phillip was like the older brother she never had. Besides, she knew that he also didn't see her in a romantic light. He was protective of her, but not in an inappropriate way. 

Stephen looked at Tabitha in her nightgown covered by a robe. Her eyes showed tiredness that she refused to battle upfront. Even though he caught the glass, she still seemed pretty alarmed, probably shocked to see him there. That wasn't true. Since New Years', her grandmother hadn't been able to get off her bed. After finally convincing Sonya to allow a doctor to see her, Tabitha was shocked to hear the news. 

Her grandmother only had months to live. She called her parents to tell them the news, but they were silent, fighting tears at the reality that they wouldn't be able to see Sonya during her fighting battle for time. Tabitha promised to take care of her to her best ability. Whenever Tabitha wasn't around, there were others to help her out.

~~~

(January)

_ Phillip sought to repair whatever was lost with Sonya all those years before, so he asked Tabitha to arrange a time for him to talk to her grandmother. Tabitha wasn't sure of what would come of it, but she hoped her grandmother wouldn't be upset, and she would resolve the misunderstanding. _

__

_ It turned out that it was the simple talk that helped repair a friendship. Phillip felt a pain in his chest, seeing his old friend seeming so helpless physically. He could remember seeing her so strong, and full of joy. He asked her straight up what he did for her to be so upset at him.  _

_ Sonya wasn't too pleased at first, seeing Phillip's face, but it was her granddaughter's pleading which forced her to agree to this. Sonya knew Tabitha was thinking in her interest in wanting old hatchets to bury. She told him the reason as to why she couldn't stand to look at his face; it was for what he did to his family. _

_ Now, Sonya's family was nowhere near perfect. There was a lot of betrayal concerning money. Sonya learned early on that money can cause plenty of problems, leaving her in severed terms with most of her family. _

_ She never expected to hear that Phillip was like her family. She told him that his sister came to her while he was in uni, saying how he had changed his father's will and took all the money to invest. His sister, Susan, was left with nothing for her and her family, asking Sonya for help. Sonya herself never talked to the girl. Either she would avoid her or be always busy doing something else. Since Sonya arrived at Seahill, people would always talk bad about Susan, but of course, she didn't want to believe it.  _

_ Susan had gotten married at a young age and started a family of her own. Although Phillip was quiet about the situation, his anger showed by his actions, refusing to speak about or to his sister. Sonya remembered how sad Susan had looked with the baby in her hand. She never wanted to see any of her family members like that, so she decided to help her out. Although she didn't hear from the girl since that day, Sonya hoped she made the right choice and, they lived a good life. _

_ Phillip was surprised to hear this. It wasn't true, not one bit. Susan was the one who manipulated everyone. She changed the will without anyone's knowledge, forcing their father to sign since he was unable to care for himself. She also managed to put her husband's name in the will so he would get some shares too. All that was left was the shop, left to rot for twenty years before, and a shabby home that his sister abandoned.  _

_ Phillip was hurt. Sonya never asked him for his side of the story. She believed at face value. _

_ Sonya realized as she explained her side how stupid she sounded. She always tried to pride herself in being able to read into the situation, reading people accurately. That must be her problem, her pride. She remembered reading in the Bible how dangerous pride can be. It was bearing its fruits for her now. She lost a friendship for years because of her pride. Sonya did see Phillip struggle when he came back, toiling every day to make the shop presentable. There was a chance that deep down, she realized how she fell into a trap, but her pride refused to acknowledge at that time. _

_ Her granddaughter showed her what it is like to show someone grace. Despite her warnings, Tabitha defied it, seeing the better part of Phillip. Despite her old years, Sonya understood that there was something to learn from young folk. _

_ Sonya knew now that at her last run, she needed to do the right thing. She left her pride behind, begging Phillip for forgiveness. If she knew Phillip well, she would've known that she didn't need to beg for anything. All he wanted was his friend back. He was glad to bury the hatchet and make amends. _

_ From that day in January, both did everything to repair the relationship, just not in a rushed fashion. He did come by a few days a week, helping to take care of her when Tabitha and Stephen were at the school. Sonya gained back her trust in Phillip, soon apologizing to Tabitha for being so upset with her months before when she first started to work for Phillip. _

_ When February came around, it was evident that Sonya couldn't take care of Issac anymore. During Issac's first birthday, Sonya couldn't even hold him in her arms while sitting for five minutes. It saddened her deeply knowing how she just met this beauty only months before, and now she could only look at him. It pained knowing how useless she became, and although no one would say it, she was a burden. _

_ Tabitha, Stephen, and Phillip never saw Sonya as a burden. She was always trying to be happy and never wanted to make things difficult for them. She needed to understand that she just needed to allow them to help her. Sonya did so much for them over the years. Now they were repaying her kindness. _

_ Phillip also helped out caring for Issac, taking him into the shop. He was the little joy everyone who had come to the shop looked forward to seeing. It was rare for the child to cry unless he was fussy and knew it was time for Tabitha to come back to him. Although everyone heard the story of Issac being Tabitha's brother, not all believed it. Seeing how 'helpful' Phillip was, they all started to concoct their theories. _

_ Many were expecting a marriage in the summer. _

~~~

[Present Day]

Tabitha wasn't expecting to see Father Foley so late at night. He held onto the glass still, both frozen. "I haven't seen you in some time. How are you?" Her lip quivered a little, not sure of how to respond. She hated being alone with him, reminded of what would usually happen. But this was her grandmother's house. 

He wouldn't dare...

"I-I'm busy. I'm studying for my last midterm." She decided to look for something else to eat, preferably something at the ground level. Better yet, maybe something to drink. Yes, water is quick to get. She moved away from him to the other side towards the pitcher, grabbing a glass from the dish rack.

"I see you've been working at that shop more often. Maybe you should do something less stressful. Something which wouldn't demand your time as much". Tabitha rolled her eyes, taking a sip of water, crossing one arm over herself. "Nothing is wrong with me working at the shop." She gulped the rest down quickly, coughing up a storm. Father Foley moved to assist her, but she jumped as if she was on fire.

"Don't touch me!"

Her fear was evident. Brown eyes wide in frenzy. Stephen set the glass jar on the counter.

"Look, I just wanted to say you should maybe switch jobs. I...I need someone to look after my home a little. It won't be as many hours, but you'll be paid enough to help care for your grandmother and Issac." 

She squirmed against the end of the counter she was by thinking of what he was saying. "I don't believe that's appropriate, Father Foley."

He let out a frustrated sigh hearing her response, "How is it not appropriate? It would be an honest living. How is that not appropriate when you go around with Brennan shamelessly? He is practically flaunting you out to everyone. Don't you know what people say about the both of you? I'll not have it!"

Her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "First of all, you will not dictate what is inappropriate, seeing that despite your front, you know nothing about that! Secondly, there is nothing but between Mr. Brennan and me. Everything people are saying is lies. He has been nothing but good to me, and I'll not have you out of all people try to tarnish his name." She looked at him with much disdain.

"Tabitha, I'm not saying anything about Brennan. Quite frankly, I could care less about him if it wasn't for you working for him." He cornered her now. Both of her hands went on the counter behind her. She wanted to get out of there. Her robe opened, his eyes drifted down before looking at her again. 

"Tell me, is it true you both are planning to wed when you graduate?" Knowing the truth, she refused to speak it. "If those people are speaking the truth, what would you do? You're a priest, Stephen". Hurt was in his eyes, but Tabitha felt no guilt. He was cruel to her so much over the years but was in different ways. Stephen Foley deserved no sympathy.

"Tabitha...Tabitha, can't you see? I would do anything for you! I'll even leave the parish for you." 

The young girl shook her head, "No, you wouldn't do it for me; you'd do it to have me. I'm not sure you even like me or if it's just the idea of me. And I believe you should leave the parish, but it's because of how disgusting your behavior is. A man who can do the things you've done to me should never be allowed to lead people spiritually."

Tabitha made attempts to move out of his cornering, but it was to no avail. He, of course, made attempts to get closer to her. His hands encircled her waist, pulling their faces mere inches apart. Her hands now moved on his chest to push him away.

"Get away from me!"

Her hands flew to hit him on his face, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrists. "Tabitha, just please stop pushing me away. Answer one thing for me. Who is Issac?" Her heart quickened, wondering what he had suspected. Did his mother tell him anything?

"Issac is my brother. You already know that."

"No, I don't. You say that to everyone. Sonya may believe that, but no one else in this town does. You know exactly what I'm asking. Who. Is. Issac?" 

She kept her mouth twisted, not finding the strength to move away from him. Tabitha stomped on his foot hard, and when he let her loose, she moved away, didn't go to her room. If she went anywhere now, he would follow her. "Is Issac your child; is that the question you want to ask me? I know people in this town aren't asking that question. They think you're too pure to do anything".

Tabitha was trying her best to avoid answering his question. The consequences of that were something she didn't want to face at the current moment.

"Look, both my grandmother and Issac are asleep, and I have a midterm to study for tomorrow. Please, leave." She turned back and walked to her room, hoping he had gotten the message. 

Well, Stephen had gotten a message from what she said. He would leave her to study for that exam. He didn't want to be the reason she didn't do as well as she wanted. If anything, her reaction to the question made it even more true. 

Issac was his son, as he assumed from the beginning. He would need her to admit that, and knowing how stubborn she was, Stephen would have to do something drastic for her to speak. 

He left the cottage with a smile plastered on his face. 

Stephen knew exactly how to make that girl cave. 

~~~

She did it. 

Tabitha finally finished her last midterm! Now she could just take a break from classes, at least for the weekend. The teachers were kind enough to give them a small break, with no homework for the weekend. There was hope she would be able to sleep earlier and rest her brain cells a little.

It was midday, and there were about two classes left before going home for a bit, but she was happy. She was speaking with some of the girls who she became more acquainted with over the months. Amid their conversation about current pop culture, her teacher disrupted the class for an announcement. 

"Tabitha, Father Foley wants to see you in his office."

There were "ohhhs" and "ahhss" going about in the class, "Looks like someone's gonna get punished. Tell me, does he use a ruler?" 

Tabitha sent a disgusted look towards Nels. She was always trying to make trouble for her. When she first came, Nels was trying to start a rumor that Tabitha was in some illicit relationship with Father Foley. Fortunately, it was shut down immediately when some other student bashed Nels and reminded her about her mother's affairs. 

Shaking her head, Tabitha followed her teacher's orders and went to the office. She made sure her blazer was straight, and her socks were up to her knees. She didn't need him to criticize her appearance like the first day. 

As she got closer to the door, her footsteps slowed. Her fear could be seen if the observer cared enough to look closely. She didn't want to do it, but the secretary urged her in, "Go ahead, Tabitha. He's waiting for you. Doesn't make any sense to waste time" With a gulp, she entered the darkroom. There was some light peering from the window, but it didn't bring warmth.

Father Foley was sitting by his desk, fingers laced together as he looked at her with dark eyes. "Tabitha, please sit down." There was a gesture towards the empty set, which she walked towards and took a slow descent to. The last time she was here, he lectured her about a doctrine in the book of Acts, and how he determined her interpretation wrong. 

Holding her legs close, she looked at his dark eyes. "We had a discussion last night, one left with an unanswered question." He got up and walked around her. She noticed that he wasn't in the gown he would wear for mass, but an all-black attire and his cleric collar. Her hands held onto the armrests tightly, fingers turned white.

"What question?" Tabitha honestly didn't remember, having crammed for the midterm she had taken today. He was usually an out of sight, out of mind for her when it came to schoolwork. Anything he may have asked her had flown out the same time he did last night.

He had stood directly in front of her, brooding down as her demure figure crouched into the chair. "Don't be like this, Tabitha. You know what question I'm talking about." 

She stood up fast, "No, I don't! Do you think I spend my time thinking of you and your banter? If there's nothing else, I'm going back to class." She turned to walk out, almost feeling proud to have stood up for herself properly to him for once. 

That moment of triumph quickly washed away as he pushed her to the door from behind. It was immediate pain rushing through her body. The thud was loud enough for the secretary to inquire. 

"Father Foley, is everything alright?" 

He held his hand over Tabitha's mouth before responding, "Yes, everything's fine, Mrs.Prundy." After a few more moments of silence, he turned around the wide-eyed girl. She shook her head, waiting for him to let go. Father Foley knew better. He walked to the other side of the room, pushing Tabitha in front of him, before letting her go. She was now on the corner of his desk, and as he kept coming forward, she had no choice but to go onto his desk. 

"I say when you can leave, and right now, you stay until we have this sorted." She nodded, trying to fight the fear she had coming up her gut. 

"Now, as I said before, you never answered my question from before." She felt tears starting to come from her tear ducts. The young girl was scared of what he could do to her now, alone in his office. "I-I don't know what question you're talking about." 

He only saw her cry once before. It was when she was homesick in October. She thought she was alone, but he was there, coming from Sonya's room. Her crying wasn't loud or obnoxious but quiet. There was sniffling and a soft sound coming from her. She was like a porcelain doll. Now, she was crying, but because of him. 

Stephen sat down on his chair, not sure of what to do to stop her tears. He didn't want this to distract his aim. He finally decided to pull her into his arms and lap, wiping away her tears. "Alright, I know it's been a long week for you. You have a lot of pressure on you. Last night we were talking about Issac." 

She knew her body was trembling as his hand tried to soothe her back. Tabitha was tired of fighting back. It was all too much for her. She didn't want him to become violent against her if she didn't allow him to do as he pleased. As she thought about it, she did remember Issac's name mentioned briefly. She gave a soft sniffle, "What about him?" 

He sighed, big hands were on both of her arms, holding her down gently so she couldn't try to escape. "Tabitha, I need to know the truth. You know that you can't live a lie much longer, not with your grandmother being so ill. Is Issac my son?" 

She hated how soft his voice became, how he tried to sound nice while asking the vile question. How could he ask her that question so easily? He must have known. 

"W-Who told you?" 

His eyebrows knitted together, "What do you mean? Other people know?" Her lip trembled to realize she sold herself short. "Yes, there was someone else who knew without me saying anything..." 

His grip became tighter, "Was it your grandmother?" She shook her head, "No, it wasn't." Tabitha couldn't bear the thought of her grandmother knowing about this.

"So, it is true. He is mine." 

She hated how possessive he sounded. He made Issac sound like property. 

"I have a son, who's over a year old, and I have barely even had a full hour around him?" His voice kept on getting softer, but the tone was vile. He was angry. Extremely angry. It dawned on him that she had hidden the truth from him. Tabitha was never really planning on telling him.

He got up, still holding onto her as he slammed the girl on the wall again, with all intentions of hurting her. "I have a son, and you never told me about him. You instead let Brennan take care of him, MY son! How dare you?"

Pain spiked up her body again, "I never wanted you to know. He isn't your son. You may be his father biologically, but never his  _ father _ . He will never be your son." 

He smacked her face hard. Memories about that night from years before came back to haunt her. "Whoever gave you that right? In God's sight, Issac is both mine and yours. I deserve to be his father like you being his mother. You have no right in letting Brennan care for him that way." 

Did he even realize how ridiculous this all sounded? She was a student at the school he ran, the granddaughter to his sick friend. She was half his age, he had done horrid things to her, and he was demanding that Issac will be his son? Tabitha wasn't going to let that happen.

"If we're going to bring God into this, let's remember how all of this happened. You're lust brought out all of this."

He laughed a little, an evil laugh, " My lust? Well, if you hadn't flaunted yourself the way you do in front of all men, then that wouldn't have happened."

Now that was the wrong thing to say to her, "You are vile. I never flaunted myself, especially in front of you of all people. You can't admit you wrong, but that's fine. God knows the truth, and one day you will get your punishment." 

Tabitha did believe that Father Foley would get punished. She remembered what her mother would say, "The Lord says Vengeance is His, Tabitha. Whenever someone does something wrong, you don't do something wrong also. Let God handle it." She did wholeheartedly believe that it may not happen right away, but Foley would be punished for all he did to her.

Stephen Foley would never face the consequences of his actions. He could promise himself that. Stephen was a priest for the Roman Catholic Church. He could confess when he leaves the church, and his sin would be absolved.

He was untouchable.

"Tabitha, I want to fix this. You shouldn't have to raise Issac yourself, especially after graduation. You need someone to care for both of you."

"What are you trying to say?" She was scared of what he might propose, not wanting anything short of just being away from him. He kept his hands away from her now, giving her some form of space. It was more than just space. He was pacing the floor. She presumed he was conflicted with himself. He finally looked up at her. What little sunlight that shone through the blinds reflected into his eyes. They were a deep shade of brown. They also had no good intentions for her. 

" I want to do the right thing, even if Issac was not my son" He could've only been Foley's son since he was the only person to treat her in that way. "It would be hard for you to care for him as a university student, and with your grandmother not being as healthy, it would also take another burden. I've decided to leave the parish. For good. I think it would only be right if we are married in the sight of God to care for Issac."

No

No

No.

This couldn't be happening, not to Tabitha. He could he even think that asking her this was alright? Was he out of his mind, thinking that he was making things better?

"You're out of your mind."

His face turned into a snarl, "You can't keep me away anymore, Tabitha. Maybe for now, but as soon as I leave the church, I'll be right here."

"Even if you were ex-communicated from the church, I would never want to be with you. I rather suffer these next few years than ever depend on you. Even if you were the last resort, I wouldn't take it."

"I told you once, Tabitha, that I'm in charge here. Mark my words: you will pay for this deception. Even if I must, I will make sure you won't graduate. There would be nothing you could do about it." Her body started to squirm to move in the other direction, wanting to escape his grasp. "You wouldn't do that." 

A mirthless laugh escaped his lips, "Don't underestimate me. I made it clear if you obey me, I can make your life easy." He walked up to her, stopping her tracks. His hands rested on her hips harshly, bending his head to touch hers.

"Please, Tabitha, marry me. As soon as you graduate, I'll turn in my resignation, and we'll get married." Her lip quivered, unsure of what to say, her mind running a hundred miles a minute.

He was cornering her, taking away all of her resources if she didn't agree to whatever he wanted. Tabitha knew if she wanted to graduate, she had to say yes. If it happened, them getting married, he would have her in his clutches, and she would never be able to escape. He wouldn't let her continue with whatever plans she had for her future. 

"Fine, fine. I'll do it. Please, I just want to graduate" Brown eyes held back whatever tears wanted to come out. Tabitha was now at her lowest point and didn't need to cry on top of it. Stephen breathed out, kissing her forehead at the quick response.

When she was finally allowed to go back to class, she was distraught. It was hard to believe how Father Foley could force her into such a position. She couldn't believe that she agreed to marry him to make sure she graduated. 

Tabitha was disgusted with herself because of that. 

There was one thing she knew before she graduated. Tabitha needed to plan an escape. She couldn't, no, she wouldn't marry him. 

Tabitha will not let Stephen Foley win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I can't believe this journey is almost done! Only a couple of more chapters till the first book is finished! 
> 
> What do you think Tabitha will do next?


	11. The Sound of Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha is finally graduating, but what does her future hold?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT GUYS

17, mid- June

There was a distant smile on her face as she looked in the mirror. It was nearly two years since she wore a dress so short, showing off her legs bare for all to see. In reality, it was only showing below her knees, but the feeling of showing too much still nagged her.

Tabitha gave a light twirl in her dress, even though it wasn't flowy. It was a form-fitting spaghetti strap black floral dress. A light shawl would cover her shoulders. Her hair was up in a slightly messy bun, with two loose ends on either side of her face. She was trying to imitate Gwyneth Paltrow's awards season hairstyle, which wasn't hard due to how long she grew out her hair.

She applied a deep red lipstick lightly over her lips, not wanting too much smudging outside her lip line. With a swipe of mascara, she looked decent enough to leave. Tabitha walked down to the kitchen, making a small noise for her grandmother to look at her.

Sonya was busy cooking some dinner.

Tabitha was shocked by her grandmother's recovery over the past few months. It was as if one day she was all better, not needing to lay in bed anymore. The doctors didn't know how to explain it, so they claimed it to be a phenomenon. Tabitha thought it was a miracle from God, answering her prayers of getting away from the priest. Although she still needed to work to become fully healed, Sonya worked hard to get back to her old self. She wanted to open back her book shop before the end of the year, and it seemed hopeful that it would indeed happen.

Along with the gift of her life, Sonya also turned a new leaf, making sure not to make the same mistake she did with Phillip. There would be no use of making gossip with all the trouble it caused before. It made no use of having broken friendships over nonsense. She felt herself also getting closer to Tabitha than how the last few months were, opening themselves back to being like before. It was due to these events that she didn't have Stephen coming around as much.

Well, there were other things too for her judgment; it was the suspicion from before she had about Foley. Although she was busy being on bedrest, the suspicion never left. It was only because of how much she needed the priest's help Sonya never uttered a thing to him.

When she started to get better, she didn't want to jump the gun and tell anyone if, by chance, she had a relapse. One evening, when she thought he had left, Sonya decided to head down to the kitchen to make herself some tea, maybe even talk with Tabitha for a bit.

What she wasn't expecting was to see the priest of their town, who she trusted her life with, to be in an intimate position with her grandchild. The poor girl seemed scared out of her wits. He held her from behind and seemed to whisper something into her granddaughter's ear, who's eyes widened, lips trembling.

Before she says anything more, she went back up the stairs straight to her room.

It hurt to see her granddaughter in that situation and not be able to do anything about it. How could she not have known? There was a predator in her own home who she unwittingly invited to prey on her only relative who cared for her. Her blood, her kin, who sacrificed her young years to help her.

Sitting down on her bed, Sonya lost all appetite to think of what Stephen had gotten away with doing. Her mind then rolled back to the time Tabitha and Stephen had gone to London for her birthday. That was when the immediate change happened. She thought about it long and hard, about how Tabitha was when they had gotten back from the trip.

~

_(Two years ago)_

_Sonya had a cake ready on the table, with minor decorations and a gift wrapped right where she wanted Tabitha to sit. They would be back soon, having spent two days together. Hopefully, it did help them in the way she wanted, that now Stephen and Tabitha would finally be on good terms. She was excited to spend the day happy, not having celebrated a family member's birthday in the last decade._

_It reminded Sonya of how lonely she was._

_Never mind that, though, she had Tabitha now._

_When she heard the sound of an engine, she knew they arrived back. Excited, she opened the door as fast as her body would take her (which wasn't much, and she didn't want to tire herself out). The image she had seen before was a bit different than what she envisioned. They were both quiet, too quiet._

_Stephen was holding onto his bags and Tabitha to hers. Her attire wasn't her usual cute outfit, but something more tomboyish, long denim overalls and a dark red shirt. It seemed to be a bit much to wear in June, but maybe it was cold on the train._

_"Hello, darling! How was your trip?" The young girl finally looked her in the eyes. Although that same smile plastered on her granddaughter's face, there was something in her eyes that seemed distant, almost as if she wasn't even there._

_She didn't do drugs, or at least not on Father Foley's supervision. Knowing him well enough, Sonya knew he wouldn't tolerate it. Maybe she was tired. Yes, a trip like that could take a lot out of even the youngest of hearts._

_"Grandma, it was nice. I had a lot of fun, and we took quite a bit of pictures." It was short, sweet, and almost rehearsed. There should've been warning bells in her ears, but Sonya ignored it. After an awkward hug, Tabitha rushed into her room._

_Sonya looked at Stephen, who was watching Tabitha. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble for you." He finally looked towards the elder after a moment, a slow smile forming on his face. "No, she was fine. Just perfect, as you expected."_

_"Why don't you stay for dinner? I wanted to celebrate Tabitha's birthday still, our own little thing." His eyes shifted, contemplating what to do. "I would love to, but I need to prepare for the upcoming Mass. I'll see you soon." It was odd, but Sonya allowed him to leave without another word._

~

Sonya recalled how her granddaughter's behavior changed over the years. She was a fool not to notice it. 

Since that night, Sonya made efforts to distance herself from Stephen. Even when he asked about her odd behavior, she would deny any ill feelings and claim she wanted to be independent again. If Stephen figured something was up, she didn't know. All she wanted now was for her grandchildren to be safe. 

Today was finally the day, and she was so happy for Tabitha! How she has grown so much over the years. She was making a nice dinner, some food from back home to celebrate. It was unfortunate that none of Tabitha's family made it. It wasn't that they didn't have the means to, but at this point, it was as if they didn't want to see Tabitha anymore. If they called, talking to Tabitha wasn't really on their mind, only hearing Issac a little.

It was sad to think of how little Tabitha had now. Before, she had a whole world of family and friends, which turned into three people; Sonya, Issac, and Phillip. Sonya could hope that life would offer her better things, and God wouldn't abandon her during this time. She wasn't even an adult yet but suffered so much. 

Hearing footsteps coming by, Sonya took to the direction of the stairs. Seeing Tabitha, tears pooled her wrinkling eyes. She was beautiful, breathtaking if only her family could see her now.

"Tabitha, you look like a doll! Give me one moment I'll take some photos."

~~~

When they reached the destination, time was nearly cutting it. Tabitha wasn't known for being late, and this wasn't going to be the first time. If she was going to give the valedictorian speech, she needed to show why she had earned it. Zipping up her green gown, she headed to the small stage along with the other girls.

Sonya and Phillip took some seats near the front. Issac was playing with a toy on Phillip's lap. Foley sat in his position with the teachers, taking glances towards the baby boy.

There was a countdown of four hours before the change of his life, of their life. He then turned to Tabitha, who was smiling with her classmates. He knew why she was happy, and it wasn't because of him. 

Tabitha thought she was the valedictorian since she worked so hard in the past ten months to prove herself.

Well, she was.

But Foley warned her several times not to anger him, and she chose to defy him several times. There were consequences to every action. Especially the small things. Foley knew exactly who to go to for that. 

Now, Father Foley wasn't known to be a cruel man to the students. He was loved by many of the young girls. That would have to do more with his looks, though. 

He just needed her grade five points down in her religion class, just enough for another girl to get the achievement. Maybe this was all she needed to remember once and for all not to defy him. If they were going to live together as husband and wife, she needed to remember that.

He looked up at the clock across the room hanging on the top. It was time for the ceremony to begin. 

Tabitha felt butterflies in her stomach, anxious for Father Foley to announce her and her achievement. She was excited, even if it was going to be short-term; it may be the last time for her to be blissfully before the storm came around.

"....and now, here is our valedictorian, Cara Gleeson." 

Tabitha almost got up, but she didn't. She couldn't see anything. She couldn't think properly. S-She was meant to have that award, that was a fact. Her grades were on top and consistent. The same couldn't be said about Cara, but she was a nice girl.

Tabitha stayed seated, ignoring the rest of the ceremony proceedings until it was time to pick up her diploma. 

Worry crossed over Sonya's eyes seeing how Tabitha looked as if she had seen a ghost. She didn't understand how Tabitha didn't get the award. It was all she spoke about for the last few weeks. Her eyes then moved to Stephen, who seemed fine, but he said something to Tabitha. It was bad enough for her face to change drastically. She was going to cry. 

Then, she finally understood. Stephen smirked at Tabitha's figure walking away from him. He planned this. 

He planned her grandchild's demise.

~~~

At this point, Tabitha was just going through the motions. She followed her classmates in getting her diploma from Father Foley. 

She barely acknowledged his congratulations he gave the other girls. When it came to her, it was different.

"Why did you do that?" She looked him directly in his eyes. She didn't have to fear, yet there was still time for her. He returned her look with a mock-confused face, "What is it that I did to you?"

"You know what you did. I was going to be valedictorian. How could you take it away from me? I was looking forward to that!" 

Tabitha registered that she was whining, but she didn't care. Tabitha was way too quiet about the stuff he did against her, and for what she had gone through the last year, she deserved to whine this one time.

Stephen glanced behind Tabitha before looking back at her to give his answer, "Next time, you should listen to me the first time. I told you, you would pay for hiding that from me. I promised you would graduate, not that you would graduate with the highest honor of our school." Tears welled up in her eyes, realizing what he did.

Foley did say back in March he would get revenge for her hiding his paternity of Issac. It wasn't right for him to start taking full control of her life this way. She walked to her grandmother and Phillip in defeated, slow steps. Both looked concerned, "Tabitha, is everything alright?" She sniffed, wiping her tears away.

A sad smile spread on her lips. "Everything's fine. I'm just overwhelmed. I finally graduated." 

Now, her life begins.

~~~

Stephen finally did it. 

He was free for the first time in 12 years. He was no longer restrained by the ordinance of the Catholic Church.

Well, it wasn't like he was restrained, but after some years, he realized he wasn't up to the task. He didn't tell his parents yet, knowing his father would laugh and throw it in his face. His father may become a bit too happy, though, hearing that his son was marrying a girl like Tabitha.

It then forced him to think back to his encounter with the young girl after graduation. He slowed down his car a little as he was on his way to Sonya's house. Soon, he stopped altogether, ironically ending up in the same spot where he confronted Tabitha on her first day of school.

If they were alone, he would've wiped her tears away, telling her it was alright. His mind ticked as he mind reminded him of how she whined sometimes. Life's tough. Whining wasn't going to get anyone anywhere. He wanted to tell her how nice she looked with her hair up, but she didn't need to wear such dark lipstick. It made her look too mature for her age.

That somehow brought up the notion of what he would do now that he was taking her. he wasn't sure how Sonya would take it. He hoped she would be happy that her granddaughter was with someone she trusted and who she believed would take good care of Tabitha.

He thought about training her to stay at home and learn how to do things his way. He was getting ready to take over his father's financial firm, so he needed to respectable wife to show on his side. Stephen wanted to provide her good things in life, with her returning his kindness with affection to him.

He knew that it would take a long while before she would show him that, but they would have all the time in the world. Hopefully, he would also prove to her that he is a good father for Issac.

Letting out a long breath, he started back his drive to Sonya's home. Anticipation rose in him, thinking of what would happen in the next few hours. He already had the marriage license, so they just needed to head to the courthouse to officiate it. Stephen wasn't in the mood to try and properly plan this out. Maybe in a few years, if she proved herself worthy of it, he would make a big show of having a big wedding, but it was unlikely. If Tabitha did anything well, it was putting up a fight against him. 

The scary part was that deep inside, it drove him insane, in a good way. He felt turned on by her attempts to get away from him. There was a high chance in this marriage she would fight a lot, and he would have the pleasure to put a stop to it. 

When he finally reached, there was an odd feeling coming to him. Something was amiss, or maybe he was mistaken. He was probably feeling giddy.

Knocking on the door, he was half-expecting Tabitha to answer, ready to go with Issac in her arms. He promised she would graduate if she would pull her end and agree to be his. Instead, Sonya opened the door, giving him a soft smile. Although impatient, he returned the smile to his old friend.

"Stephen! It's good to see you, but I thought you would be at the church. Isn't Mass tomorrow?" He quirked both eyebrows, "I would usually do that, but not this time. Well, I wouldn't be doing that anymore if I'm being frank with you."

"Oh? How come?" She opened the door wider so he could enter, which he did. He scanned the home to see if he would see Tabitha's shadow lurk, but there was nothing. He turned back to the elder, "Sonya, I think there's something I need to tell you. M-Maybe we should take a seat."

He never was one to get nervous, at least not to the point of stuttering. Was that guilt trying to enter a way into his heart? They both took a seat right in the living room. Brown eyes looked at the stairs, reminded of the first time he saw the young girl running down them. 

How times have changed since then. 

"What's the matter, Stephen? You look a little pale." She looked concerned for him, and he was starting to wonder if it would be the last time she would feel that way for him.

"Well, is Tabitha around? It would be better to say this with her here."

"No, she left a while ago. She took Issac with her saying she would be gone a few hours." Forget the anxiousness and guilt. Anger resurfaced, hearing Tabitha was gone. He refused to let it show, not wanting to scare Sonya.

"Right. Well, this is something you would need to know anyway, even if she was around." Sonya's face changed from concerned to confused. There was a silence. A knife could cut through the air with the tension that built in a matter of seconds.

"Sonya. Tabitha and I were to get married today." 

Back in home, or with her family, Sonya was known for when she got upset, she got UPSET. Her children all knew better than to take her to that breaking point. Pot spoons and belts would be thrown around if they would've done something to piss her off (although it did take a while for that to happen). She knew she was supposed to be screaming now, turning red at what Stephen had told her. She had witnessed for herself what he was trying to do to Tabitha, and she was too cowardly to stop it that time. 

She wasn't going o be a coward anymore.

"Stephen, I know we've been good friends for years, but right now, you are treading dangerous waters. I would advise you to _carefully_ explain what you mean by you and Tabitha were going to get married." Her words became more pronounced and slow as she said each word. That Trinidadian accent that she withheld for years was approaching back quickly.

It was obvious what a stupid mistake Stephen had committed. He should've waited until after they tied the knot. It was too late now, though. He hoped Sonya would have been understanding towards him.

She wasn't going to be, so he had to resort to another tactic.

"Tabitha and I are in love with each other. We both had agreed after her graduation, I would officially leave the church and get married. I was expecting her to be here with Issac to take them. I thought she would have told you." He tried to look genuine when saying it, not speaking too quickly like a hasty lie, but ecstatic like a man in love. 

It didn't work out in his favor. He felt his cheek throb from the slap Sonya had given him. If he didn't respect her so much, he would've retaliated.

"How could you? To my only grandchild who sacrificed herself to help me, to my blood! I thought you cared for us, but it's obvious you had another motive. You bring shame to God's name. How could you call yourself a priest with such filthy thoughts and actions towards Tabitha?" She stood up, wanting to keep her distance before she slapped him again.

His face became somber, "So she told you?"

"She didn't have to tell me. I saw the way you would look at her, and I didn't want to believe it. I thought you better than to do that you a teenaged girl. Then I saw months ago one night how you touched her and how scared she looked." 

"Yes, I will admit my wrong in knowing she was a teenager and I shouldn't have done those things, but now she will be a legal adult, and she agreed to marry me. Issac should have the right to also grow up with his father, don't you agree?" 

The room became still. 

There was dizziness overtaking the elder. 

"What are you talking about? WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE HIS FATHER?"

Stephen's eyes widened, realizing his mistake. Tabitha never told her grandmother after his finding out. He never wanted to let her know like this. After all the good they've gone through, he allowed it to be thrown away. He got up to help Sonya, he could tell she was going to fall, but she pulled back.

"Don't touch me, you monster. What do you mean you're Issac's father? Are you saying that Tabitha is his mother? What did you do?"

In fright, his hands started to shake. Shame started to envelop his body, knowing now he did indeed had to face the truth himself about what had happened almost two years ago.

"I-It was when we had gone to London, you know, for her sixteenth birthday. Things h-had gotten out of hand, and the next thing I knew she was crying in the bathroom, locked away from me. I-I swear, Sonya, I never meant for anything to happen. I didn't even know Issac was my child up until a few months ago." 

His words weren't registering. Sonya could only wonder about all that her grandchild had been through with just being here. It was overwhelming, too much for her heart to take. 

There was immediate pain in her left arm. A scream echoed out. Her legs gave up on her. Breathing was a bit harder now. 

Stephen watched in horror as she fell to the floor. He realized what was happening, Sonya was having a heart attack. Taking action, he went to the phone and called the paramedics. 

He would let Tabitha free for a few more hours. The guilt of her grandmother's condition overtook his mind.

If she would die here, Stephen would never forgive himself. No, Stephen refused to allow Sonya to die. If she did, Tabitha would surely blame him, and she would be out of his grasp for good.

He slowly turned back to the phone, realizing what he could do.

After the paramedics took Sonya, he quickly dialed a number of an old friend he knew he could count on.

"Hello? It's Stephen. I need your help with something..." 


	12. Candy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tabitha makes her move, but did she lead herself into a bigger danger?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I can't believe we made it!! Thank you all so much for joining the journey with me, for all the love and support. It truly means a lot to me. For the sequel, should I continue it in here, or create a new story?

17, mid-June

  
When Tabitha left her grandmother's house, she didn't take anything with her, other than some money she saved outside the bank and necessaries for Issac. She left in the same outfit as before, with her graduation gown on and all. Her diploma was also with her. She didn't want to let it go just yet. She didn't know when Stephen was going to come, so she was quickly running off to Phillip's home first.

He was surprised to see her in such a frenzied state. "Everything alright?" She wanted to say something, but nothing was coming out.

  
She just pushed Issac to him, "Please, I know this is a humongous favor to ask of you, but would you be able to watch Issac for a few days?" Perplexed, Phillip just took the child in his arms, also taking the bag which Tabitha provided.

  
"Inside is a paper stating while I am not around, you have full parental rights over him. Whatever happens, Foley must not get him. I just need to get away right now, but I will be back in a few days. I'll call to let you know I'm alright."

  
He was quiet through all of this, just taking in everything that she said. "Tabitha, please explain to me what exactly is going on right now."

  
Realizing how little her boss knew, she closed her eyes and took a breath, "I-I just need to get away right now. Stephen Foley made me promise him months ago that the day I graduate, I would marry him. He told me if I didn't comply, he would make sure I would never graduate. I-I had to say yes, I didn't know what to do. After realizing what he did, changing my grades, now he would have full control of me if I give into what he wants."

"He wanted you to do what? Is that bastard out of his damn mind?!" Phillip was seething. Foley did it now. He swore if he saw that damn priest, he would strangle him to death without remorse.

Tabitha was worth taking that risk.

"I need to get out of here, I don't know where I'll go, but for now, I would just need to figure it out. When I'm safe, I'll call you. Please, protect Issac. You're the only one I can trust."

  
"Do you need money? For me to drop me anywhere?" She cracked a smile, hearing his concern. "No, you're doing more than enough right now. Thank you for being such a good friend to me, Phillip." She hugged him, forcing her tears to stay at bay.

  
She also held her boy in her arms for the last time in who knows how long. Tabitha gave her son a loving kiss on his forehead. "I love you, promise mom you'll be alright." 

Giving him back to the elder of the two, she bid goodbye one last time before heading off to the bus station to figure out where she would go.

  
~~~

It was dark when Tabitha finally got off the bus, and it was also pouring. When she got on the bus at the station, she didn't know where she was heading. Although she lived in Ireland for about a year, she stayed in the parameters of Seahill, so that was all she knew.

  
She wished she had gone out more. Now, the bus was gone, and no one else was on the bus when she had gotten off by herself. She didn't have a lot of money on her, but hopefully enough to get something decent in her stomach. She didn't eat anything since that morning, and if things were different, she would've been with her grandmother eating the good ole delicacies of Trinidad she did not have in a while.

It was odd, seeing how lonely the road was, she decided to walk in the direction that the bus was going in before. Turning back would be of no use. Fear crept in her, not knowing what would happen to her if she didn't find anywhere to go.

  
By now, her hair wasn't up, more like a wet mop on her head. She held her graduation gown close to her, wanting some warmth to surround her body. Amid her rush to escape, she didn't even think about taking off the heels she wore, so her feet were probably blistered beyond belief. Tabitha was more than sure she looked like a haggard mess. The only thing probably left on her face right now was her lipstick.

Although it felt like an eternity (when in fact it was twenty torturous minutes), Tabitha finally found herself in front of a big building. It looked posh, like a club for the elite. Hedges of grass were flooded with the rain, and with thunder now taking a strike, she screamed to deaf ears and started to run towards the club.

  
She hated thunderstorms since she was a little girl, and being caught in one now, Tabitha knew there was no way for the night to get worse.

And yet there was.

  
When she reached inside the country club, she was in awe of the design. It was extravagant to say the least. This club was one of those places she always wanted to go to when she became a successful adult. She walked towards the Maître d'hôtel, who was giving her a condescending look. She didn't blame him. Tabitha was looking like a soaking cat from the rainfall. 

  
"Can I help you?" Her lip frowned a little, hearing his tone, but beggars can't be choosers.

"H-Hi, I'm sorry, I just need to get out of the rain. I walked out here from a bus stop, and I don't know where I am. I-I have some money. Would it be alright if I can buy something to eat, or if not, can I use your facility's phone to make a call." She could already tell the answer would be no, but she needed to try her luck. 

  
"I'm sorry, madam, this is an exclusive country club. I'm afraid I cannot allow you to come in without the accompaniment of a member. You may wait here if you'd like until the rain stop, but that's all I can do." Although she felt like crying for what felt like the hundredth time, she mustered up a grateful smile instead. "Thank you."

She stood there, watching outside, then all the people who were inside. They, in turn, were watching her also, murmuring about who she must be. Her shivering was getting out of control. Chapped lips started to tremble a little. 

Then, a man came out to the area she was at, giving her an expectant look, "Are you the singer who was supposed to come for the bachelor party?" 

  
"No." 

  
The man cursed under his breath with a worried expression, "Well, can you sing?"

She thought about it for a moment, "I suppose so?" In reality, she never tried to sing before, only hum for Issac whenever he needed to go to sleep. She didn't know why this man was asking, but maybe it was a good thing. 

  
"Nevermind, you'll have to do for now. Follow me." She gave a confused look but followed. The Maître d'hôtel didn't stop her, looking away from whoever the man was. 

She was beckoned into a dressing room, "Fix yourself up. The rain did a number on you. Oh, you better know how to dance." 

  
"W-what do you mean? I thought you needed a singer?" A smirk emerged from the man's face, "Yea, a 'singer'. Who needs that at a bachelor party?" He let a loud laugh out as he left her there by herself. 

  
How could she be so dumb? The guy thought she was a stripper or escort. Horrified, she decided to try and fix herself up a little before telling the man that she was not a stripper but an underage girl who so happen to find herself at the club. 

Tabitha fixed her hair a little. It was halfway dry now, so she combed it with her fingers a little to give it a bounce. She wiped the residue of the mascara off her eyes and some of the smudged lipstick off as well. It reminded her of how she looked when she was fifteen, fresh-faced. She fixed her gown, deciding that covering her body would be the better choice. 

She then walked outside to the open doors across with several men in their twenties to mid-thirties all being boisterous made her quickly discover this was where she was supposed to be. She heard whistles from all corners as she walked in the room, heat flowing on her cheeks. 

  
"Dan, what do you mean they didn't come?"

  
"Don't worry about it, man. I got us a replacement! She was right there in the front looking cold n' shit, and I thought, why not? Looks like a nice piece of ass too." She cleared her throat before the man, Dan, turned towards her with a lewd smile on his face.

"Hey girlie, ready?"

"I'm sorry, I think there was a misunderstanding. I-I'm not what you think I am."

"Yea, babe, you all say that." He bumped shoulders with his friend, who also looked at her. 

  
"No, I'm serious. I just graduated today. I'm not a prostitute."

  
"What you mean graduate, like uni?" She shook her head. Understanding and horror shone on his face. 

  
"Shit, I-I didn't realize." His other friend didn't seem convinced, though. "So there're girls younger than you do this. Come on. We'll pay you well." She shook her head, "No. I'm sorry about the misunderstanding, but I'll leave now." Tabitha tried to take her to leave, but he pulled her arm back. 

  
"Look, I can't let my friends down, tonight's been a bit boring, and it seems like they all like you. How about this, you don't have to strip or dance in front of all of us. Just come to the front and trust me, won't ya?"

Before she could give her an answer, Tabitha was dragged to the front of the room. A pole and a small stage were facing her. The crowd of men looked towards her and the man. There were all types of men. The only thing they probably had in common was that they had the money to lavish off a place like this. She looked at everyone with wide eyes, scared now of what may happen to her. 

  
"Alright, fellas, tonight's gonna get a little more interesting. You see, our good friend Dan failed to get us that one thing we all wanted, a girl who would dance around this pole for us as we all floozy around." There were boo's all around the room, but one man kept silent. For some reason, she took notice of him for that one second. He was on the corner of the room, drinking some wine with his eyes averted in another direction. He looked bored with being here. 

"Instead, this little doe right here stumbles upon our humble abode, and out of the kindness of his heart, Dan invited her here to join us. I thought it would be kind if one of us can give her an experience; she says she's just graduated today to now she needs to enter the world as a woman, who's ready for that task?"

All the groans turned into excitement, some men flinging their belongings up as well as money. 

  
"Alright, how about we start a bidding?" She looked at the man next to her with shocked eyes, bidding? She wasn't a piece of meat. 

  
It was slow at first, with a couple of hundred pounds soon turning into thousands. "Take off that gown, let's see what we're buying" In that instant, the man pulled the zipper of her gown down to reveal her dress. The whistles from before came back. Her hands crossed over her chest, hoping to cover something. She regretted running away. Maybe she should've faced her fate and stayed back in Seahill. 

  
Maybe Foley wasn't as bad as these men. 

  
"6000" 

  
The entire room of men looked back towards the man who sat in the back. There was a change in his eyes, he was interested. Tabitha wasn't sure of what to think. She was happy when he wasn't paying attention to her. 

The man next to her smirked, or at least she felt he did when he said the next thing, "Well, lookie here, our good friend Tae wants a piece of her too. Looks like we were wrong about him. How about this, who wants to see our friend Tae get himself this girlie here tonight?" Whoops, and cheers came from all over the room. 

  
It was settled. Tabitha was going to be with that man. With a rough pull, the man holding her pulled her to the corner of that room. Into the booth that the stranger was in. She fell on his lap, a blush emerging onto her face. 

  
The stranger looked equally as flustered with his face paling with the close contact. 

  
"Go on, you two! Have yourselves a good night, no wait, a great night!" 

Cheers were still going around the room. She got up quickly, turning shy in front of the man, Tae, with who she was supposed to spend the night. She needed to tell him the truth, how she had gotten there, and how she needed help. He seemed to be understanding, right? He wouldn't do anything to a girl like her.

He also got up, his frame towering over everyone in the room. If Tabitha thought Foley was tall, then this guy was a giant. She could gauge he was over six feet since Foley was around 5'10". The man wasn't buff but lean. She refused to look at his face, not wanting to look at this man in the eye, to figure out what his intentions were. His hand overtook hers, murmuring something before pulling her along lightly out of the room.

Still in heels, she barely caught up with his pace, her eyes looking up to the back of his jet black hair. He wore a black leather overcoat, but there was a suit under it. It seems as though he didn't mean to stay at that place for a long time, so maybe he used her as an excuse?

The fact that she was trying to rationalize her situation scared her. Tonight could be her last night alive or even seen in the public eye. No one knew where she was, and there was no possible trace of finding her if anything happened. Her mind went straight to Issac's happy face. It was the only thing to calm her down.

Instead of walking out of the club, 'Tae' took her to a different area. It looked similar to a high-class restaurant. After speaking with the Maître d'hôtel who gave her trouble before, he gave the man a swift nod before leading them to a high, secluded place of the restaurant, like a V.I.P. area. 

Before leaving the table, he gave Tabitha a look. This time it wasn't condescending, but wary. Now, she wasn't sure what she should think. She went through enough emotions for the day.

She took a seat across from the stranger, who was already looking at the menu. Should she feel happy that he wasn't paying attention to her or offended? Tabitha opened up the menu to look at what she wanted to eat, although she wasn't sure if she could even afford anything, maybe an appetizer.

The perfect thing was that there were no prices for the items listed.

  
Putting it back down, she played with her hands feeling awkward. Her gaze drifted to the man's hands, or rather, his left hand. 

It was covered with a sleek black glove, a white line along the line of the thumb. It was peculiar, but Tabitha didn't think much of it.

He may have thought something else. Clearing his throat, Tabitha forced herself to look up at his face. A blush emerged, seeing how handsome he was.

For some reason, it was a distant memory of Mark, the guy she met years ago on the train that came to mind. It was possible because this guy was also Korean, and Mark was the only other Korean she had met. They didn't look similar, though. This guy was taller, and his skin tone was lighter. His hair was parted to his right and had a fringe, but it looked chic on him. His left eye had a scar on it, but it wasn't new.

His lips were thinner and pinker.

The memory of Mark came back to haunt her, and she instantly wishes it was him she had bumped into tonight. This man had a stoic look on his face, almost distant, possibly because he was drinking before.

He looked at his glove covered hand, then looked back at her, "Do you think something's wrong with this?"

"N-no, should there be something wrong?" She made sure that she didn't look scared, but her eyes did look a bit more lively than before.

He then pulled the glove off. Metal digits were in the show. "Yes, there should be something wrong. If you're wondering why everyone in that room was adamant for me to take you, it's because of this."

She looked at his prosthetic, then the back to his dark eyes. He looked sad. "They think I'm incapable because of this. Or that I just have no confidence." He put back on the glove, motioning for the waiter to come by.

"At least nothing worse has happened" He looked at her as if she was mad. No one ever told him that. He wasn't used to anyone feeling anything other than sympathy for him. Despite the face he was giving, it was refreshing to have someone not be affected.

"I have four aunts and uncles who can't walk or even move their arms. Hell, one of my aunts is paralyzed from the neck down. At least you still have your freedom." Tabitha could only wish she was lying. On her father's side, four of her aunts and uncles did suffer a rare form of MS. Her grandmother spent hundreds of thousands to find out what it was, but it was to no avail. They had only gotten it in their twenties, and Tabitha was scared deep down that since it was so prominent on her father's side that there was a possibility she would too.

'Tae' blinked, realizing immediately just how privileged he was, not with wealth but with health. She was right. At least he could walk and be allowed to move what was missing from his left arm. He was free to go as he pleased as she said. Maybe it was because of what his family and friends would say and do, he thought he was less than normal. 

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Oh, there's nothing to be sorry about; that's life. We need to take note of ourselves and make better choices, right?" Tabitha wrapped her arms around her again, feeling shivers crawl up her spine. He must've finally registered how cold she was, getting up to take off his coat and put it over her shoulders.

The waiter came around, and 'Tae' had ordered wine. From what he said, it sounded expensive. He also ordered the main course meal for both of them. Usually, she would have a fit at the direct show of dominance from a man, but being in this situation, she was merely thankful.

"You eat duck?" She nodded, "Yes, I can eat anything except shellfish, or else you'd see me on the floor like a flailing fish gasping for breath." Although it was meant to be funny, she wasn't sure he would get the joke. There was a small smile, though, so it's something.

"Um, also, I'm not a prostitute." Her eyes became big with innocence, feeling embarrassed and mortified. She wasn't sure if he'd be like the rest of his friends and laugh it off or listen to her.

  
He looked back straight in her eyes, narrowing the slightest. Suddenly he looked sinister in a matter of seconds, without even doing much. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have even mentioned it. 

"Don't worry, I know." He allowed her to see his straight white teeth as his eyes creased. Even then, his eyes looked sinister. It only made Tabitha wonder if he was being honest with her or planning something right in front of her face.

It was more than likely she was paranoid at this point, so she dismissed it.

His long fingers pointed to the black casing she had now to the side of her. He noticed she never once let it go when she was at the bachelor party. "Is that it, your diploma?" She nodded, deciding to show him her prized possession.

He took a look, seeing her full name. "Tabitha Rampersad. Are you from the Caribbean?" She tilted her head, "And what makes you think that?" 

He gave a light shrug, "I've been there a few times with my family. The last name looks familiar." It did feel nice to know that someone was able to figure out what she was without her saying.

Usually, people would think she was East Indian or Pakistani because of her physical features. She had nothing against that assumption other than it being based on the wrong reasons. Her smile was starting to become more genuine sitting with this man.

"Since you know my name, I think it would only be fair if I know yours now, you know, like a trade-off?" He nodded, agreeing with her philosophy.

"Before I tell you that, do you not know who I am?" She would've taken it as him being a prick if it wasn't for his demeanor previously showing that he wasn't one to show off in that fashion. It seemed as though she should've known who he was.

With the denial, the stranger decided to elaborate, " Earlier, when you were standing in that crowd, what drew me in was the dress. When I created it, to be quite honest, and maybe even brutal, your body type was never what came to my mind."

Well, that tanked everything he said before to her. "I know that does sound bad, but I say that to let you know how wrong I was." Her eyebrow quirked, "That what, a girl who isn't a stick couldn't wear it?"

He shook his head, a flustered smile emerged, "Not exactly. You know how the fashion world is, or at least how it is portrayed to the public. I've become so used to a certain type of model that anything else would be uncanny to me, which was the case with you. Seeing you in a piece from my collection last spring enlightened me."

"You look beautiful, and for the first time, I can say that the dress didn't make the person, but you made the dress work."

Her heart stopped at beautiful. Tabitha was always used to hearing that she was cute or pretty, but never beautiful. Stephen never once called her beautiful, not even when he 'proclaimed' his love for her.

  
It felt different for someone to take the time to say something like that. Blinking, she figured that he was the designer of the dress like he insinuated. She tried to figure out what the name of it was, which would possibly be his name.

The smile stayed on his face as he watched her touch the back of the dress, but he decided to stop this suspense for her.

"I'm Tae-Seok Han, the founder of Hanseok."

She couldn't believe it. Her hand started to shake a little, fully understanding what was happening.

Tabitha was sitting right across from the most prominent fashion designers in the world. His brand was up there with Prada and Chanel. It was beyond that, he was the fashion king! She felt more embarrassed about not recognizing him or the fact she was wearing one of his dresses. Along with the recognition came questions. There were so many rumors about him she could never keep up.

Feeling a warm hand over hers, she looked at him again, who seemed happy she did indeed know who he was. Tabitha was glad that he didn't ridicule her for how she looked. She was a mess in front of a world-famous fashion designer. The young girl could hear everyone cringing at her now. She tucked a semi-dry strand of hair behind her ear, sniffling a bit from the cold.

"Would you like to get dry clothes?" She shook her head, "No, it's fine, but thank you." She just met him not too long ago, and buying her dinner was way more than enough. As if on cue, her stomach started to move the food finally arrived. Not wanting to look like a starving heathen, it took all restraints for Tabitha not to gorge down the food in front of her. 

  
Taking only a small bite, she nibbled lightly, trying not to take full notice that Tae-Seok was staring at her. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up here? I mean, it's pretty far from the residential area, and the entrance is exclusive." He had every right to ask her those questions, but she wasn't sure if or how she would even start with the story.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." An eyebrow raised in her direction, "I've seen some crazy things in my lifetime. Hell, it's the story of my life." She decided to take a small sip of the dark wine, lips turning sour to the unfamiliar taste. 

"Would you rather some water?" Tabitha's cheeks turned red before nodding, "Yes, please."

  
After getting some water to drink, she decided that maybe it would be alright to tell him a little about her situation. It wasn't that she wanted his help, but she needed to tell somebody. A high-class stranger who she wouldn't see again would be perfect. Being a prolific fashion designer, he probably would forget her within the next few days.

She waited for him to come back. He had received a call on his cellular. When he came back and sat down, she gave him a small smile before clenching onto the napkin on her lap.

"Mr. Han, you had asked me before how I ended up here, and I think now I'll tell you if you're still willing to listen, of course." With a nod from his direction, Tabitha continued, "I'll make it short, but it won't be sweet. I ended up here because I ran away from home. I lived with my grandmother...and my son. The reason I ran away was because the father of my child wanted me to marry him, but he's not a good man, so to get out of the situation was my only choice."

  
The silence was deafening. Tabitha leaned onto her old habit of biting her lip when nervous.

"Where's your son?" She blinked, surprised at his calm tone. Maybe he did go through more odd situations. "He's with a friend. I didn't know where I would end up, so I rather him in the arms of someone I trust until I figure out my situation."

  
She watched as Tae Seok crossed one leg over the other, eyes looking on the ground. "What are your plans?"

  
"Honestly, I'm not sure. For now, I need a job. Just to get enough money to survive in the next few months. I'm supposed to head to university soon. Hopefully, by then, I would have at least an apartment sorted out." Tabitha realized just how little she thought about what she would be doing or how good she would be able to take care of Issac.

  
Tears started to roll down her face again, now thinking that she just may be an unfit mother altogether.

  
Tae Seok looked at her with pity. It was something which he couldn't afford to do often but he did it seeing her cry. Even though he had only just met her, she seemed to have her life set in some order, which is admirable for someone as young as her. It was the fear he saw in her which reminded him of himself. 

Fear of being unsure of what to do or who to trust.

  
"What university are you going to?" Sniffling a little and using her wrung up napkin to dab her eyes a bit, she finally answered. 

"Cambridge, I-I am going to Cambridge" Tabitha meant to tell her grandmother over dinner that her grandchild was able to overcome the odds and get into a historically renowned school such as that. Back in New York, her family would always think she would amount to nothing. In reality, she was working hard to be better than all of them. She still hoped at least this part of her dream would come true.

  
His eyes widened a bit. If what Tabitha was saying about herself is true, how was it that she got into such a prestigious school? Tae Seok was able to go there, but it did have a little to do with his family name and money.

  
"How'd you get into Cambridge, if you wouldn't mind me asking?"

"Well, I studied hard. When I had to apply to universities, I just applied there by chance, although there were other schools both here and in New York, which I thought of as better choices simply because I would be closer to family. When I got accepted, it was a dream come true, and I didn't want to give up on it. They also gave me a scholarship which covers more than half the tuition, but I still need to come up with the other half." She was also supposed to tell her grandmother that, hoping that they would work together to pay it off.

  
There was a sense of dumbfoundedness when he heard her response. She made it sound easy to get into a school like Cambridge without a family name. He felt more than impressed by her, and not only for her looks anymore.

  
"Well, I must say, Tabitha, if you'd allow me to call you that, you have exceeded the odds for someone in your position. It does sound like you do need some help. Am I wrong to assume that?"

  
The young girl shook her head, the redness from before returned to her cheeks. "No, I'm afraid you're not wrong about that. For now, my main focus is for my son and me to live peacefully, stably would be more accurate. I'll find my way through, I always have."

  
Putting down his cutlery, Tae Seok lifted his right index finger to his lip, tapping it a little as if he was pondering a thought.

  
"When I saw you tonight, I never expected you to have such a back story, more so of how ambitious a young person can be to beat the odds against them. After speaking with you, I would like to offer help." He gives her his right, 'good' hand, "Would you trust me to help you out?"

  
Morbid was the word Tabitha was searching for, yes, morbid. That was the only way she could explain her current situation. She never dreamed of any of this happening. It was too good to be true.

  
And you know what they say if something's too good to be true, it probably was.

  
Tabitha gave a small smile. "That is very kind of you, Mr.Han, but I'm afraid I can't accept. I've only just met you, and although I'm more than sure you're a stellar being, it would be wrong of me to accept your help."

  
She wasn't expecting the smirk on his face, "Of course, as a young female in your predicament. I could understand why you'd be so hesitant in accepting a stranger's offer. It's very wise of you, smart girl."

Awkwardness surrounded them, or at least Tabitha. Was it bad she didn't accept his help? She didn't think so. The last thing she wanted was for people to assume she was a gold digger.

  
Suddenly, a card was placed in front of her. In raised cursive letters, it reflected the fashion designer's name. Han Tae Seok. 

"Just in case you would ever need my help, I'm only a call away." He then asked the waiter for the check and placed his card in it, walking away as if it was nothing.

  
She felt alone now. Maybe she should go after him and apologize. It didn't seem that he had any ill intention towards her. Hell, the thought of a man like him giving her any sort of attention. It was like a hallucination if she didn't feel her damp dress on her body.

  
When she had finally gotten up, she remembered the jacket wrapped around her. As she was going to take it off, her eyes by chance glanced in front of her.

The jacket fell off her shoulders so fast, as did her diploma at hand.

  
How did he find her here? It was merely a few hours ago when she left. How did he know?

Stephen looked at her with angry eyes, not believing that she was in a place like this. In the outfit she was wearing, how dare she? With all that had happened in the past couple of hours, he knew finding her was important, especially with her grandmother in critical condition. She looked scared of him, and rightly so. When he was going to head into the dining room, the Maître d'hôtel stopped him, "I don't believe you belong here, sir."

  
Stephen looked from the man back to Tabitha, who was shaking like a leaf, "That girl is with me. If she's in here, then I'm here too." 

Without another glance, he pushed the stuffy man to the side, storming towards the girl. Arms were quick to grab onto her, shaking her a bit, "How could you run away like that? Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" He was beginning to pull her in the direction of the door, where he would proceed in his original plans of marrying her first.

  
It was already a set back that she did this, but to not have Issac with her. Where was his boy? What did she do with him?

  
Tabitha, although frightened, started to pull herself away, "Let go of me! I'm not heading anywhere with you." She was in pain from his hold, but she was going to fight back against him.

  
People were watching, making talk of the two unfamiliar faces and the ruckus they were making.

  
Out of the blue, another force from behind Tabitha pulled her backward. She felt an arm around her torso, a hand covered with a black glove.

  
"What are you doing?" She didn't have to look up to know who it was, but she thanked God for sending the man back to help her.

  
Stephen gave the man an incredulous look, "Who are you?"

  
"I'm with her. Who are you?"

  
"Her fiancé." A smug smile came on Stephen's face, still not believing he was able to say that. Still, the taller man refused to let her go. Stephen was starting to see red by how the man's hand was over her. She wasn't meant to be touched by anyone but him.

  
"Ahh, you're that man. I would advise you to let go of her, or else security would have to escort you out."

What was it that she told this guy about him? Finally glancing back at her, Stephen saw she couldn't even look at him. She was afraid of what he would do.

And she should be.

  
But that was for another time. Right now, Stephen had to do as the man asked if he didn't want to create a bigger scene.

  
Tae Seok gave him an off-handed smile, "As you can see, she's with me currently. I do not believe you're wanted here, so I suggest you leave. If I hear that you ever bother her or her child again, I will ensure that you face charges of harassment and make it public what kind of man you are. Do I make myself clear?"

  
Stephen let go of her as soon as he heard charges. The last thing he needed was for his name to be tarnished. Giving her one last look, he said, "Tabitha, this is not over. I will find my son, and when I do, you'll be sorry for betraying me like this."

  
Tabitha couldn't believe that he was leaving like that, so simply, because of the man behind her. She was frozen for a moment but then turned towards her hero.

  
The tall man looked to see if he was gone before looking back at the young girl. "Are you alright?" It took her a moment before nodding, "Yes. Thank you so much for doing that."

  
"You don't have to say thank you. Anyone would've done the same."

  
"No, they wouldn't."

  
He gave her a comforting smile, letting his fingers brush her slightly damp cheeks. "I think for now he may leave you alone, but are you sure you wouldn't like my help?"

Tabitha took a moment to think, what should she do? Closing her eyes, she silently asked God what would be the best choice before giving her response.

"I.."

Fin de la première partie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue will be next


	13. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peek into the future

_ In the distant future _

Rain poured on the window as the dark clouds rolled slowly. The mood was bleak. There was a tense atmosphere, but without reason. His day was going pretty well, nothing too much to worry about. As he was getting ready to make himself lunch, the telephone rang throughout the house.

He answered, surprised who was the caller, "Hello?"

"He's dead."

"Tabitha, hello? What do you mean? Who's dead?"

There was silence on the other line, he was worried that she was gone, but then with a sob, she answered, "H-he's dead. He's finally gone."

"Wait, don't do anything! I'm coming right now."

Without waiting for her response, he hung up grabbing his jacket, and ran out in the rain. What did she do?

Reaching the house, he didn't have to ring the doorbell. The door was slightly ajar. His stomach dropped, cautiously entering the home. Usually, he would take time to look at its grandiosity, but he was distracted. Not by his thoughts, but the trail of blood on the floor. They weren't in big puddles, but small drops.

"Tabitha, are you here? Are you alright?"

Footsteps pattered along the floor until there was a stop.

Her hands trembled, blood dripping from them. Dark eyes drifted up to see bloody handprints on her dress and neck. Her eyes were void of emotion. It was like he was looking into a statue.

"I did it. I killed him. Help me, please."

To Be Continued...

Arc 2 to be released April 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Thank you so much for going along this journey with me. I am happy to officially announce that I will be writing Part 2 to The Temptations for the Wallflower! I will not spoil much other than it will take place5 years in the future. I am planning to release it April 1st so stay tuned :) 
> 
> Until then, most of my focus will be on my other two stories Killing Me Softly and Madrugada so if you haven't yet check them out! 
> 
> Have a great day :)


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